Museum registrar vs museum curator

The differences between museum registrars and museum curators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a museum registrar, becoming a museum curator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a museum curator has an average salary of $44,309, which is higher than the $43,424 average annual salary of a museum registrar.

The top three skills for a museum registrar include condition reports, fine arts and computer database. The most important skills for a museum curator are collections management, art collections, and museum exhibits.

Museum registrar vs museum curator overview

	Museum Registrar	Museum Curator
Yearly salary	$43,424	$44,309
Hourly rate	$20.88	$21.30
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	2,842	413
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	6

Museum registrar vs museum curator salary

Museum registrars and museum curators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Museum Registrar	Museum Curator
Average salary	$43,424	$44,309
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $80,000	Between $25,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Smithsonian Institution
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between museum registrar and museum curator education

There are a few differences between a museum registrar and a museum curator in terms of educational background:

	Museum Registrar	Museum Curator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Fine Arts	History
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Museum registrar vs museum curator demographics

Here are the differences between museum registrars' and museum curators' demographics:

	Museum Registrar	Museum Curator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%	Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 3.5% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between museum registrar and museum curator duties and responsibilities

Museum registrar example responsibilities.

Manage FoxPro database of historical and archaeological collections locate at state parks throughout Florida.
Train, mentor and supervise museum volunteers and interns, providing example-base leadership to facilitate knowledgeable and customer-service orient staff.
Create and present educational PowerPoint oral presentations.

Museum curator example responsibilities.

Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
Fashion and coordinate historical costumes for first person interpretation

Museum registrar vs museum curator skills

Common museum registrar skills

Condition Reports, 28%
Fine Arts, 25%
Computer Database, 20%
Cataloging, 14%
Permanent Collection, 12%

Common museum curator skills

Collections Management, 29%
Art Collections, 14%
Museum Exhibits, 12%
Fine Arts, 11%
Educational Programs, 9%
Cataloging, 6%

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Museum Registrar vs Museum Curator

Updated January 8, 2025

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