Average Museum Technicians And Conservators Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Museum Technicians And Conservators is $51,440 per year. The middle 50% earn between $41,050 and $67,640, with 12,310 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 45 states and 67 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Museum Technicians And Conservators pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $33,780
- 25th
- $41,050
- Median
- $51,440
- 75th
- $67,640
- 90th
- $87,530
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Museum Technicians And Conservators earn close to the national median for all US workers. Solidly middle-income.
Pay varies significantly across workers. Seniority, employer size, and specialization all move the needle, so it is normal for two museum technicians and conservators at different points in their careers to earn very different salaries.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for museum technicians and conservators from 2024 to 2034. Growth is above the US average of about 4% across all occupations. This is an expanding field.
- Projected growth
- +5.4%
- 800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 1,900
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for museum technicians and conservators.
Where Museum Technicians And Conservators earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where museum technicians and conservators work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Maryland at $76,900, about 49.5% above the national median. At the metro level, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV leads with a median of $79,230.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $76,900 | 450 |
| District of Columbia | $76,110 | 520 |
| New York | $74,550 | 1,050 |
| Connecticut | $62,030 | 280 |
| California | $61,550 | 1,610 |
| Alaska | $60,840 | 60 |
| Washington | $59,610 | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $58,530 | 440 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $79,230 | 970 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $77,030 | 820 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $75,100 | 30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $75,020 | 420 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $68,960 | 30 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $66,620 | 70 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $65,310 | 40 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $62,290 | 40 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see museum technicians and conservators pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Museum Technicians And Conservators rose from $44,430 to $51,440, a gain of +15.8% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $44,430 would need to be worth $55,950 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $51,440 is −$4,510 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -8.1% in purchasing power.
Adjusted for inflation, pay has lost ground. Nominal growth of 15.8% has not kept up with rising prices.
- Nominal change
- +15.8%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -8.1%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Museum Technicians And Conservators median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $51,440
- 2024
- $47,460
- 2023
- $48,670
- 2022
- $47,270
- 2021
- $47,630
- 2020
- $45,710
- 2019
- $44,430
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Library Technicians
- $44,580
- Curators
- $63,420
- Archivists
- $64,550
- Self-Enrichment Teachers
- $46,800
- Tutors
- $43,350
Common salary questions for Museum Technicians And Conservators
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Museum Technicians And Conservators workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.