Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

Curators Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 1,126 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$55,000
BLS median: $61,770
DOL Median Salary
$55,000
From 1,126 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$61,770
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
496
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
12,280
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$55,000
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$21,819$45,000$55,000$74,651$306,000

This figure comes from 1,126 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$61,770
BLS Survey Salary Range
$37,110$47,270$61,770$81,350$105,520

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 12,280 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 11% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Curators

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1J PAUL GETTY TRUST$159,5965+158.4%
2The Corning Museum of Glass$105,0005+70%
3Christie's Inc$93,92312+52.1%
4TB GALLERY LLC$80,0006+29.5%
5Yale University$76,00020+23%
6PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM$75,0006+21.4%
7Michigan State University$72,6325+17.6%
8The Metropolitan Museum of Art$68,80062+11.4%
9The University of Chicago$67,5009+9.3%
10The Museum of Modern Art$67,31727+9%
11Sothebys, Inc.$67,00062+8.5%
12Field Discovery Ltd.$66,5605+7.8%
13WALKER ART CENTER$66,30011+7.3%
14Smithsonian Institution$65,58010+6.2%
15MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART$65,0005+5.2%
16Savannah College of Art and Design$64,6675+4.7%
17University of Michigan$64,0909+3.8%
18The Art Institute of Chicago$63,43418+2.7%
19The J. Paul Getty Trust$61,58812-0.3%
20HENRIQUE FARIA FINE ART$60,0006-2.9%
21The Florida State University$57,6589-6.7%
22TRUSTEES FOR HARVARD UNIVERSITY$55,0008-11%
23PERFORMA INC$52,9846-14.2%
24About Glamour Inc$46,0729-25.4%
25Museum Associates$45,8026-25.9%
26LARK MASON ASSOCIATES INC$45,7605-25.9%
27Philadelphia Museum of Art$38,0005-38.5%

View all companies hiring Curators

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
New York, NE$77,019+40%5026
New Haven, CT$73,000+32.7%101
Minneapolis, MN$65,000+18.2%103
Washington, DC$64,186+16.7%122
Chicago, IL$60,000+9.1%3714
Los Angeles, CA$58,000+5.5%3717
New York, NY$55,0000%325152
San Francisco, CA$51,239-6.8%1812
Brooklyn, NY$47,403-13.8%2617

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Nebraska$73,281+38.6%62
Massachusetts$71,250-6.2%20
Connecticut$70,000-4.6%11
Vermont$68,640+24%1
Alaska$68,558+5.2%2
Virginia$68,000+13.3%4
Michigan$67,045+4.7%16
Utah$66,920+33.7%3
Colorado$66,640-4.9%4
Maine$65,000+28.2%1
Minnesota$65,000+6.1%11
District of Columbia$64,186-21.7%12
Texas$63,349+7.3%20
Washington$61,000-7.8%3
Illinois$59,588-2.1%42
California$56,000-28.9%87
New York$55,000-30.2%376
Rhode Island$52,000-30.4%1
Florida$50,800-8.6%34
North Carolina$50,800+1.2%8
Maryland$50,266-18.1%4
Arizona$49,816-22%7
Georgia$49,275-3.2%5
New Hampshire$47,800-10.1%1
Missouri$47,753-17.4%1
Pennsylvania$46,996-26.1%16
Ohio$46,500-21%10
New Jersey$45,323-31.3%8
Hawaii$44,928-28%2
New Mexico$43,555-28.2%3
Nevada$43,077-36%1
Oklahoma$42,508-12.3%2
South Dakota$42,500-33.4%1
Louisiana$40,000-28.2%3
Mississippi$37,940N/A2
Arkansas$35,880-34.8%1
Wisconsin$35,100-43%1
South Carolina$35,100-39.2%4

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Curators positions, 40% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 47% required a Master's degree, and 2% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtMaster's$68,800
Sothebys, Inc.Bachelor's$67,000
The Museum of Modern ArtMaster's$67,317
Yale UniversityNot specified$76,000
The Art Institute of ChicagoDoctorate$63,434
Christie's IncBachelor's$93,923
The J. Paul Getty TrustNot specified$61,588
WALKER ART CENTERNot specified$66,300
Smithsonian InstitutionNot specified$65,580
About Glamour IncNot specified$46,072

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Curators is Arts, Entertainment, Recreation at $72,354. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Professional and Technical Services at $59,853.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Curators make?

Based on 1,126 DOL filings, the median salary for a Curators is $55,000, ranging from $45,000 to $74,651.

What is the highest salary for a Curators?

The 90th percentile salary is $105,520 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Curators?

Based on DOL filings, New York, NE offers the highest median at $77,019.

Does this data include all Curators salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Curators positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.