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Job outlook for museum docents in the United States
Are museum docent jobs in demand?
Museum docent job and salary trends over time
Museum docent jobs over time
Museum docent job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 939 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,022 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,130 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,122 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,053 | 0.00% |
Average museum docent salary over time
Museum docent salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $40,630 | $19.53 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $39,492 | $18.99 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $38,239 | $18.38 | +5.8% |
| 2023 | $36,150 | $17.38 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $35,590 | $17.11 | --0.7% |
Museum docent jobs by state
Most common states for museum docents
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 4 | 1% |
| 2 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 3 | 0% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 2 | 0% |
| 4 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 2 | 0% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2 | 0% |
| 6 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1 | 0% |
| 7 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 1 | 0% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1 | 0% |
| 9 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1 | 0% |
| 10 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 0 | 0% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 0 | 0% |
| 12 | Delaware | 961,939 | 0 | 0% |
| 13 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 0 | 0% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 0 | 0% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 0 | 0% |
| 17 | Vermont | 623,657 | 0 | 0% |
| 18 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 0 | 0% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
Museum Docent job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of museum docent experts
Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
What general advice would you give to a Museum Docent?
Sally Shelton: The world of museums, libraries, galleries, and archives is wide-ranging and rapidly evolving. 21st-century skills are very much needed as we find new ways to manage our science, history, and heritage resources, in terms of both object care and information management. In addition, we are more aware than ever before of the complex issues surrounding objects removed from their country or culture of origin, and of the need for museums to be proactive and responsible in dealing with these issues. For example, to mention a few, provenance research and repatriation expertise have never been more important than they are now. Digital heritage issues and born-digital materials need a different and rapidly changing level of care and management, in ways that are different from the care and management of tangible materials. At the same time, tangible objects and records also need care, and there is no substitute for hard-copy records. Museums are also strengthening their roles as keepers of intangible heritage: the documentation of the cultures and contexts that give objects their significance and meaning. So the 21st-century museum professional needs to be attuned to community and cultural concerns just as much as they are to physical and digital management of resources. Finally, funding will most likely always be a concern for the survival of our institutions. Keeping them relevant, valuable, and important to their communities and audiences without compromising their core values will always be the balance that we need to find. Grantwriting, creating marketable programs, and finding other sources of funding should be dynamic parts of managing the institution.
What Museum Docent skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Sally Shelton: If you have the opportunity prior to or just after graduation, take some time to become familiar with a museum beyond just visiting, whether that's through volunteering, doing a museum-based project as part of a class, or leading a program. Learning how museums work, and how much goes on behind the scenes, will help you decide what aspects of museum work you'd like to explore. What you see in exhibits and public programs is just the tip of the iceberg. You may discover that you want to work with collections and research, or that you have a talent for teaching and public outreach, or that you have the vision to design meaningful exhibits. Look at museums in your field of interest, but don't limit yourself to that. People working in museums come from many different backgrounds, fields of expertise, skills, and talents. Knowing something about how museums work and what they do can help you decide what further education and training you may want to pursue as part of getting into this field. One of the most important things to do at the beginning is to proactively build networks in the field. Joining professional associations gives you access to meetings, webinars, workshops, and other positive experiences that can help you keep up with evolving standards and best practices in the field. You also meet people at all ages and stages of life and experience, and there is much to share and learn on both sides. The size of the institution you work in does not matter nearly as much as the professionalism of it.
What will help Museum Docents increase their earning potential?
Sally Shelton: Find ways to strengthen and broaden your skills and knowledge in ways that benefit both you and the institution. Go outside your comfort zone: if you are a collections person, for example, you should look into what it takes to teach public programs, or create an exhibit. If you plan to work in public-facing aspects of the museum, take some time to learn about your collections and how they are managed. Don't focus only on one institution's needs; look for education and training opportunities that enhance your professional qualifications long-term. Museums today are in a time of change and reinvention. If your institution is using outdated IT approaches, for example, can you be the person who brings it forward? If the public programs being offered by an institution are not attracting many participants, can you be the person who helps create newer and better programs? Sometimes you can't make the changes that need to be made because the institution is not open to change, and this is really unfortunate. But if you have acquired the skills and knowledge to make these kinds of changes, you will make yourself valuable to an institution that does see the way forward. So invest in yourself with ongoing education and training opportunities, and remember that not all institutions are going to be a good fit for everyone. Keep looking forward, and keep a good record of everything you have learned, or done, or contributed.
Lois Silverman Ph.D.
Professor of Museum Studies, Public Scholar of Museum EducationIndiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Museum Studies Program, IU School of Liberal Arts
What type of skills will young Museum Docents need?
Lois Silverman Ph.D.: Like many fields, museums and other cultural organizations are wrestling with tough challenges wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the racialized violence in our country. Museum visitation is down, many institutions are laying off staff, and some will likely close for good. That said, museums are essential to the health and well-being of our communities and our society, especially in traumatic times like these.
Museums adapt to engage people in new and meaningful ways, from digital learning to essential community conversations. They need workers who are flexible, empathetic, civic-minded, and socially conscious. Although competition for jobs will likely increase in the years ahead, young graduates can sharpen their edge by honing their leadership, communication, and innovation skills, as well as their abilities to foster equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
How do you envision technology impacting Museum Docents in the next 5 years?
Lois Silverman Ph.D.: At their core, museums aim to be participatory institutions of communication, storytelling, and community engagement. Technology is playing a critical role in expanding museums' reach and impact. From holographic history exhibits to virtual reality-based immersive art experiences, technology enhances museums' work in many ways. For example, since the pandemic hit, museum-digital learning has exploded.
Many museums now offer virtual tours and programs that reach families at home, teachers with online students, older adults in nursing homes, healthcare workers, and others. Technology has opened new opportunities for people to contribute their own stories and objects to museum collections and exhibits. Studies have shown that public views museums as the most trustworthy source of information in America. In the next five years, I expect even more technological applications that will successfully remove barriers so that people of all backgrounds, situations, and abilities can enjoy and help create the next age of museums.