Pay by state · 49 states
Curator Salary by State (2026)
Curators earn the most in District of Columbia at $93,310 a year and the least in Mississippi at $40,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $63,420. All 49 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $93,310District of Columbia
- National median
- $63,420BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $40,600Mississippi
- States reporting
- 49of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Curator salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of curators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $93,310 | $74,030 | $111,530 | 140 | $84,904 |
| 2 | NHNew Hampshire | $82,490 | $57,720 | $97,280 | 60 | $79,192 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $79,120 | $58,340 | $103,240 | 1,330 | $73,313 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $78,740 | $66,480 | $99,430 | 1,140 | $71,116 |
| 5 | RIRhode Island | $77,930 | $64,430 | $104,350 | 70 | $76,193 |
| 6 | NJNew Jersey | $77,800 | $58,280 | $93,240 | 120 | $71,504 |
| 7 | MAMassachusetts | $77,790 | $58,380 | $97,880 | 370 | $73,555 |
| 8 | CTConnecticut | $76,510 | $59,500 | $102,110 | 190 | $73,844 |
| 9 | SDSouth Dakota | $74,990 | $57,460 | $95,780 | 50 | $84,652 |
| 10 | WAWashington | $74,030 | $58,740 | $93,090 | 260 | $69,179 |
| 11 | COColorado | $73,630 | $60,460 | $88,740 | 300 | $71,449 |
| 12 | NVNevada | $69,900 | $53,140 | $83,880 | 100 | $69,915 |
| 13 | WIWisconsin | $64,370 | $57,180 | $78,260 | 300 | $68,410 |
| 14 | AKAlaska | $63,880 | $59,260 | $74,460 | 90 | $62,408 |
| 15 | MDMaryland | $63,750 | $53,660 | $84,150 | 170 | $60,738 |
| 16 | NMNew Mexico | $63,690 | $52,070 | $64,830 | 140 | $69,069 |
| 17 | OHOhio | $63,640 | $46,270 | $84,590 | 370 | $68,597 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $63,510 | $51,960 | $94,920 | 150 | $63,083 |
| 19 | MIMichigan | $63,190 | $47,700 | $82,240 | 360 | $65,674 |
| 20 | ILIllinois | $63,060 | $48,320 | $80,410 | 410 | $63,086 |
| 21 | OROregon | $62,790 | $46,210 | $77,870 | 260 | $60,748 |
| 22 | IDIdaho | $62,190 | $44,610 | $63,360 | 50 | $65,125 |
| 23 | PAPennsylvania | $62,100 | $48,590 | $85,490 | 520 | $63,645 |
| 24 | WYWyoming | $61,910 | $39,160 | $74,060 | 90 | $66,792 |
| 25 | ALAlabama | $61,120 | $47,120 | $75,270 | 150 | $68,811 |
| 26 | OKOklahoma | $60,560 | $47,570 | $75,190 | 150 | $68,941 |
| 27 | LALouisiana | $60,080 | $47,390 | $70,440 | 160 | $68,113 |
| 28 | TXTexas | $59,990 | $50,120 | $77,350 | 690 | $61,809 |
| 29 | MOMissouri | $59,960 | $46,780 | $80,830 | 260 | $66,023 |
| 30 | UTUtah | $59,910 | $46,380 | $73,630 | 50 | $60,598 |
| 31 | FLFlorida | $59,500 | $46,070 | $78,720 | 420 | $57,536 |
| 32 | NENebraska | $58,600 | $45,240 | $77,460 | 120 | $65,037 |
| 33 | VAVirginia | $58,200 | $44,410 | $79,500 | 450 | $57,564 |
| 34 | GAGeorgia | $57,810 | $46,860 | $77,270 | 230 | $60,036 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $57,580 | $46,530 | $76,690 | 190 | $62,676 |
| 36 | DEDelaware | $56,800 | $49,070 | $76,060 | 60 | $56,909 |
| 37 | KSKansas | $56,630 | $42,790 | $74,370 | 120 | $62,875 |
| 38 | VTVermont | $56,520 | $36,810 | $72,190 | 60 | $57,698 |
| 39 | MEMaine | $56,470 | $49,550 | $65,350 | 110 | $58,187 |
| 40 | KYKentucky | $55,460 | $42,710 | $76,710 | 130 | $61,514 |
| 41 | MTMontana | $54,460 | $39,670 | $61,140 | 100 | $57,541 |
| 42 | MNMinnesota | $53,920 | $39,250 | $76,290 | 220 | $54,674 |
| 43 | INIndiana | $53,910 | $44,720 | $63,380 | 220 | $57,763 |
| 44 | ARArkansas | $53,870 | $46,240 | $73,990 | 80 | $61,964 |
| 45 | IAIowa | $53,830 | $41,600 | $66,470 | 230 | $61,336 |
| 46 | HIHawaii | $50,720 | $40,640 | $79,750 | 140 | $46,130 |
| 47 | NCNorth Carolina | $49,470 | $47,560 | $69,360 | 600 | $52,446 |
| 48 | SCSouth Carolina | $47,200 | $41,990 | $69,060 | 120 | $50,347 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $40,600 | $35,910 | $55,470 | 30 | $46,692 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Curators, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $93,310, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $84,904.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Curator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Curators the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Curators at $93,310 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Hampshire ($82,490) and New York ($79,120).
Which state pays Curators the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Curators at $40,600 a year, $52,710 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Curators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $84,904 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $93,310. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.