Designs and leads tours, school programs, workshops and family activities that help visitors learn from a museum's collection. BLS does not publish separate figures for museum technicians and conservators; it counts them within museum technician and conservator (SOC 25-4013), whose median pay is $51,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 25-4013
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Museum Educator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $51,440a year, or $24.73/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $34KTop 10% $88K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.6%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,60014,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202514K
- Projected 203514.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 14K Projected 2035 14.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Museum Education Coordinator, Gallery Educator, Museum Teacher, School Programs Coordinator, Manager of Museum Education.
Pay
How much do Museum Technicians and Conservators make?
Every museum educator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$51,440
Middle half earn $41,050 to $67,640
- 10th
- $33,780
- 25th
- $41,050
- 75th
- $67,640
- 90th
- $87,530
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $33,780 |
| 25th | $41,050 |
| Median | $51,440 |
| 75th | $67,640 |
| 90th | $87,530 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $51,440
- Median hourly wage
- $24.73/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $57,410
- People employed
- 12,310
Versus all US occupations
At $51,440, the median for Museum Technicians and Conservators sits in line with the $50,980 median across all US occupations.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $68,270, this is 25% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $87,530 or more while the bottom 10% earn $33,780, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 24% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Maryland pays the most at $76,900, and still leads at $73,267 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Museum Technicians and Conservators the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Maryland | $76,900 | $73,267 | 450 |
| 2District of Columbia | $76,110 | $69,253 | 520 |
| 3New York | $74,550 | $69,078 | 1,050 |
| 4Connecticut | $62,030 | $59,869 | 280 |
| 5California | $61,550 | $55,591 | 1,610 |
| 6Alaska | $60,840 | $59,438 | 60 |
| 7Washington | $59,610 | $55,704 | 280 |
| 8Massachusetts | $58,530 | $55,344 | 440 |
| 9Illinois | $56,720 | $56,744 | 400 |
| 10New Mexico | $56,670 | $61,456 | 100 |
Job outlook
Is Museum Educator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Museum Technicians and Conservators | +3.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Museum Technicians and Conservators to change 3.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,600 openings are projected each year, 11.4% of the 14,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Museum Educator
Most museum educators have a bachelor's degree in education, art history, history, a science, or museum studies, and many have a master's in museum education or museum studies. Programs such as those at Bank Street College and George Washington University focus specifically on museum education. Classroom teaching experience is valued and is a common route into the field.
The American Alliance of Museums supports museum educators through its education and interpretation resources and professional network, and the National Art Education Association has a museum education division. Many people begin as part-time gallery teachers, interns or docent coordinators and build experience leading programs for different audiences.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Museum Educator do?
Museum educators are the people who turn a museum's objects into learning experiences. At art, history, science and children's museums, zoos and historic sites, they design and lead school field trips, gallery tours, hands-on workshops, summer camps, family days, adult lectures and programs for visitors with disabilities.
Behind the scenes, they write lesson plans and teacher guides aligned to state standards, train and schedule volunteer docents, develop activity carts and interactive gallery materials, and work with curators so exhibitions are understandable to the public. Many evaluate programs with surveys and observation, and senior educators manage budgets, grants and partnerships with school districts.
Day-to-day tasks
- Lead school groups and public tours through exhibitions
- Design hands-on workshops and family programs
- Write lesson plans and teacher guides aligned to standards
- Recruit, train and schedule volunteer docents
- Adapt programs for visitors with disabilities
- Work with curators on exhibition labels and interactives
- Evaluate programs and report results to funders
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Museum educators work in galleries, classrooms and outdoor spaces at museums, historic sites, zoos and science centers. The job involves a lot of standing, walking and speaking to groups, often of excited children. Weekends, evening events and summer camps are common. Office time goes to planning, scheduling and grant reports.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.6
- Writing3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Monitoring3.4
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.6 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Instructing3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Service Orientation2.8
- Quality Control Analysis2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.8 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Object oriented data base management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Museum Educator?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SAE) built on O*NET's Museum Technician and Conservator profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Museum Educator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic5.3
- Conventional4.5
- Artistic3.8
- Social3.6
- Investigative3.2
- Enterprising2.5
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Museum Educator
O*NET related occupations
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
More educational instruction and library careers
Median annual pay, with museum technicians and conservators highlighted
- Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary$80,250
- Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$74,260
- Librarian$68,270
- Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School$66,270
- Kindergarten Teacher$62,680
- Museum Educator$51,440
- Library Technician$44,580
- Tutor$43,350
- Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education$38,140
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary | $80,250 |
| Special Education Teacher, Secondary School | $74,260 |
| Librarian | $68,270 |
| Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School | $66,270 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $62,680 |
| Museum Educator | $51,440 |
| Library Technician | $44,580 |
| Tutor | $43,350 |
| Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education | $38,140 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Museum Educator appears on
Questions
Museum Educator: frequently asked questions
How much do Museum Technicians and Conservators make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for museum technicians and conservators. It counts them within museum technician and conservator, whose median pay is $51,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $41,050 and $67,640, and the top 10% earn $87,530 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Museum Educator?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Museum Technicians and Conservators, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation.
Is Museum Educator a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.6% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Museum Educator do?
Museum educators are the people who turn a museum's objects into learning experiences. A typical task: lead school groups and public tours through exhibitions. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Desktop publishing software, Document management software.
Which states pay Museum Technicians and Conservators the most?
The highest state medians for Museum Technicians and Conservators are Maryland ($76,900), District of Columbia ($76,110), New York ($74,550) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Museum Educator?
O*NET scores Museum Technicians and Conservators highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.