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Museum technician vs conservator

The differences between museum technicians and conservators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a museum technician and a conservator. Additionally, a conservator has an average salary of $46,396, which is higher than the $40,953 average annual salary of a museum technician.

The top three skills for a museum technician include collections database, museum collection and artifact. The most important skills for a conservator are social security, condition reports, and photographic documentation.

Museum technician vs conservator overview

Museum TechnicianConservator
Yearly salary$40,953$46,396
Hourly rate$19.69$22.31
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs5,69779
Job satisfaction3-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Museum technician vs conservator salary

Museum technicians and conservators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Museum TechnicianConservator
Average salary$40,953$46,396
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $67,000Between $25,000 And $86,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateDelawareConnecticut
Best paying companySmithsonian InstitutionThe Mariners' Museum and Park
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between museum technician and conservator education

There are a few differences between a museum technician and a conservator in terms of educational background:

Museum TechnicianConservator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorHistoryFine Arts
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Museum technician vs conservator demographics

Here are the differences between museum technicians' and conservators' demographics:

Museum TechnicianConservator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 39.0% Female, 61.0%Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between museum technician and conservator duties and responsibilities

Museum technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with planning, designing, and prototyping new exhibits.
  • Prepare daily animal diets and perform cleaning duties to USDA and AZA standards.
  • Perform an array of prototyping, fabrication, assembly, integration, and installation of exhibits.
  • Organize and catalog anthropology, mineral science and paleobiology collections.
  • Create and run excel macros on ceramic artifacts providing statistical analysis data.
  • Create and run excel macros on ceramic artifacts providing statistical analysis data.

Conservator example responsibilities.

  • Create initial inventory of finances and physical items own by estate and submit to probate court.
  • Analyze prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts, including data entry for cataloging.
  • Design costumes and usher for mainstage productions.
  • Perform archeological field excavations and laboratory analysis.

Museum technician vs conservator skills

Common museum technician skills
  • Collections Database, 11%
  • Museum Collection, 11%
  • Artifact, 11%
  • NPS, 9%
  • Pest Management, 8%
  • Cataloging, 8%
Common conservator skills
  • Social Security, 17%
  • Condition Reports, 14%
  • Photographic Documentation, 12%
  • Condition Assessment, 12%
  • Conservation Lab, 11%
  • Conservation Treatments, 10%

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