Museum director vs executive director

The differences between museum directors and executive directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a museum director, becoming an executive director takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive director has an average salary of $127,956, which is higher than the $73,554 average annual salary of a museum director.

The top three skills for a museum director include museum operations, museum exhibits and community outreach. The most important skills for an executive director are oversight, patients, and customer service.

Museum director vs executive director overview

	Museum Director	Executive Director
Yearly salary	$73,554	$127,956
Hourly rate	$35.36	$61.52
Growth rate	12%	-8%
Number of jobs	7,882	97,471
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	49
Years of experience	6	4

Museum director vs executive director salary

Museum directors and executive directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Museum Director	Executive Director
Average salary	$73,554	$127,956
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $134,000	Between $76,000 And $213,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	University of Southern California	Genentech
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between museum director and executive director education

There are a few differences between a museum director and an executive director in terms of educational background:

	Museum Director	Executive Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	History	Business
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Pennsylvania

Museum director vs executive director demographics

Here are the differences between museum directors' and executive directors' demographics:

	Museum Director	Executive Director
Average age	44	49
Gender ratio	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	10%

Differences between museum director and executive director duties and responsibilities

Museum director example responsibilities.

Manage FoxPro database of historical and archaeological collections locate at state parks throughout Florida.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Assist in launching an initiative to lobby the Kansas legislators and other elect officials to increase Medicaid reimbursement for assist living.

Executive director example responsibilities.

Manage 10 department heads who supervise a staff of 350 FTE's.
Develop and manage sales teams to assure the highest ROI on the client's investment.
Create and manage a call center for lead programs to support the prospecting activity needs of the FSR.
Freelance blogging to increase website views and ultimately to turn organic content into leads and ROI for small businesses.
Market and manage group and individual insurance programs including health, life, disability, long term care and annuities.
Major accomplishment are to achieve initial NAEYC accreditation.

Museum director vs executive director skills

Common museum director skills

Museum Operations, 22%
Museum Exhibits, 18%
Community Outreach, 11%
Local Community, 11%
Collections Management, 10%
Museum Store, 8%

Common executive director skills

Oversight, 10%
Patients, 9%
Customer Service, 5%
Financial Management, 5%
Business Development, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Museum Director
Museum Director vs Executive Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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