Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

Museum Technicians and Conservators Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 329 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$51,210
BLS median: $47,460
DOL Median Salary
$51,210
From 329 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$47,460
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
129
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
13,070
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$51,210
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$19,656$41,427$51,210$65,000$146,952

This figure comes from 329 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

$47,460
BLS Survey Salary Range
$30,720$37,460$47,460$62,990$82,790

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 13,070 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 7.9% higher 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 Museum Technicians and Conservators

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1The Museum of Modern Art$97,5006+105.4%
2Contemporary Conservation$85,00011+79.1%
3The Metropolitan Museum of Art$77,00031+62.2%
4The J. Paul Getty Trust$74,50019+57%
5J PAUL GETTY TRUST$68,40011+44.1%
6PETER FREEMAN, INC.$66,6055+40.3%
7Yale University$61,7005+30%
8Smithsonian Institution$56,80512+19.7%
9METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART$54,6318+15.1%
10GV ART CONSERVATION LLC$52,5005+10.6%
11Museum of Fine Arts Boston$48,5106+2.2%
12SUZANNE SIANO PAINTINGS CONSERVATION INC.$45,8118-3.5%
13The Art Institute of Chicago$45,7938-3.5%
14Museum Associates$41,6005-12.4%
15Clemson University$40,7147-14.2%
16THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART$37,0007-22%
17JEFFERSON PATTERSON HISTORICAL PARK AND MUSEUM$35,3516-25.5%

View all companies hiring Museum Technicians and Conservators

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
Los Angeles, CA$65,000+26.9%286
New York, NY$54,688+6.8%6526
Chicago, IL$44,085-13.9%135

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
South Dakota$70,239+94%1
Oklahoma$65,000+57.2%2
Virginia$61,255+25.9%2
Nebraska$59,173+49.6%11
California$58,518-0.8%32
New York$54,631-15.5%74
Colorado$54,581+5.4%2
Georgia$53,037+9.6%1
Alaska$51,251-19.3%3
Hawaii$50,000+30.3%1
Arizona$48,000+8%1
Connecticut$47,753-27.7%4
Massachusetts$47,671-19.4%12
District of Columbia$46,625-37.3%8
Michigan$45,943+20.5%2
Illinois$44,085-4.5%15
Indiana$42,610-13.5%1
Texas$42,163+22.9%6
New Jersey$41,474-0.5%3
South Carolina$40,714+11.5%6
Pennsylvania$40,061-13.3%3
Ohio$40,000-15%9
Maryland$37,336-48.8%2
Kansas$35,525-11.6%1
Utah$35,006-19%1
Florida$24,600-50.5%3
Kentucky$19,656-43.1%1

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Museum Technicians and Conservators positions, 40% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 53% required a Master's degree, and 7% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtBachelor's$77,000
The J. Paul Getty TrustNot specified$74,500
Smithsonian InstitutionNot specified$56,805
J PAUL GETTY TRUSTNot specified$68,400
Contemporary ConservationNot specified$85,000
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTNot specified$54,631
The Art Institute of ChicagoNot specified$45,793
SUZANNE SIANO PAINTINGS CONSERVATION INC.Not specified$45,811
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ARTNot specified$37,000
Clemson UniversityNot specified$40,714

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Museum Technicians and Conservators is Arts, Entertainment, Recreation at $57,548. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $54,835.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Museum Technicians and Conservators make?

Based on 329 DOL filings, the median salary for a Museum Technicians and Conservators is $51,210, ranging from $41,427 to $65,000.

What is the highest salary for a Museum Technicians and Conservators?

The 90th percentile salary is $82,790 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Museum Technicians and Conservators?

Based on DOL filings, Los Angeles, CA offers the highest median at $65,000.

Does this data include all Museum Technicians and Conservators 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 Museum Technicians and Conservators positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

Salary Check

Are you a Museum Technicians and Conservators wondering if your salary is competitive?

Compare your pay against government-filed salary data for this role.

Job Search

Find Open Positions

Browse current openings and compare them against the government-filed salary data above.

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.