Pay by state · 45 states
Museum Technician and Conservator Salary by State (2026)
Museum Technicians and Conservators earn the most in Maryland at $76,900 a year and the least in Louisiana at $32,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $51,440. All 45 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $76,900Maryland
- National median
- $51,440BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $32,350Louisiana
- States reporting
- 45of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Museum Technician and Conservator salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of museum technicians and conservators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MDMaryland | $76,900 | $51,440 | $108,160 | 450 | $73,267 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $76,110 | $50,750 | $98,890 | 520 | $69,253 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $74,550 | $58,030 | $83,360 | 1,050 | $69,078 |
| 4 | CTConnecticut | $62,030 | $50,480 | $79,460 | 280 | $59,869 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $61,550 | $49,600 | $75,960 | 1,610 | $55,591 |
| 6 | AKAlaska | $60,840 | $44,570 | $67,570 | 60 | $59,438 |
| 7 | WAWashington | $59,610 | $47,750 | $65,730 | 280 | $55,704 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $58,530 | $49,590 | $67,610 | 440 | $55,344 |
| 9 | ILIllinois | $56,720 | $47,460 | $67,190 | 400 | $56,744 |
| 10 | NMNew Mexico | $56,670 | $47,220 | $66,140 | 100 | $61,456 |
| 11 | NVNevada | $56,470 | $40,350 | $69,490 | 70 | $56,482 |
| 12 | WYWyoming | $56,420 | $47,660 | $57,310 | 60 | $60,869 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $55,470 | $49,050 | $62,230 | 70 | $54,233 |
| 14 | FLFlorida | $53,460 | $44,990 | $62,250 | 250 | $51,695 |
| 15 | VAVirginia | $52,190 | $42,290 | $68,200 | 310 | $51,620 |
| 16 | COColorado | $51,990 | $42,000 | $62,900 | 290 | $50,450 |
| 17 | IAIowa | $51,740 | $39,250 | $68,450 | 100 | $58,955 |
| 18 | MNMinnesota | $50,140 | $44,490 | $62,740 | 170 | $50,841 |
| 19 | KYKentucky | $49,940 | $31,480 | $58,010 | 80 | $55,391 |
| 20 | GAGeorgia | $49,270 | $38,580 | $66,480 | 150 | $51,167 |
| 21 | MOMissouri | $49,170 | $42,720 | $59,890 | 850 | $54,142 |
| 22 | MEMaine | $48,460 | $44,320 | $57,300 | 60 | $49,933 |
| 23 | OKOklahoma | $48,090 | $31,470 | $60,940 | 190 | $54,745 |
| 24 | OHOhio | $47,570 | $39,870 | $58,890 | 350 | $51,275 |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $47,150 | $37,520 | $60,640 | 310 | $48,323 |
| 26 | AZArizona | $46,650 | $39,820 | $54,850 | 90 | $46,336 |
| 27 | INIndiana | $46,490 | $36,940 | $56,640 | 290 | $49,813 |
| 28 | KSKansas | $46,320 | $37,860 | $55,850 | 130 | $51,428 |
| 29 | TXTexas | $45,880 | $31,910 | $52,600 | 670 | $47,271 |
| 30 | OROregon | $45,820 | $37,610 | $59,030 | 170 | $44,330 |
| 31 | TNTennessee | $44,710 | $34,390 | $59,490 | 210 | $48,667 |
| 32 | NJNew Jersey | $43,780 | $39,160 | $57,870 | 110 | $40,237 |
| 33 | IDIdaho | $43,520 | $37,860 | $55,870 | 40 | $45,574 |
| 34 | MTMontana | $42,390 | $36,120 | $49,940 | 120 | $44,788 |
| 35 | NENebraska | $41,960 | $37,770 | $52,580 | 60 | $46,569 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $41,280 | $34,510 | $47,830 | 110 | $47,483 |
| 37 | HIHawaii | $40,170 | $38,690 | $47,730 | 140 | $36,534 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $39,290 | $35,920 | $46,470 | 450 | $41,653 |
| 39 | MIMichigan | $39,000 | $35,190 | $48,910 | 340 | $40,533 |
| 40 | WIWisconsin | $38,840 | $29,070 | $48,170 | 160 | $41,277 |
| 41 | ALAlabama | $38,350 | $23,770 | $49,550 | 130 | $43,176 |
| 42 | SCSouth Carolina | $38,290 | $33,570 | $49,050 | 90 | $40,843 |
| 43 | DEDelaware | $38,080 | $35,930 | $45,820 | 60 | $38,153 |
| 44 | UTUtah | $35,430 | $28,230 | $50,780 | 100 | $35,837 |
| 45 | LALouisiana | $32,350 | $30,440 | $38,760 | 200 | $36,675 |
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 Museum Technicians and Conservators, that changes the ranking: Maryland leads on raw pay at $76,900, while Maryland leads once prices are taken into account at $73,267.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Museum Technician and Conservator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Museum Technicians and Conservators the most?
Maryland reports the highest median wage for Museum Technicians and Conservators at $76,900 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($76,110) and New York ($74,550).
Which state pays Museum Technicians and Conservators the least?
Louisiana reports the lowest median for Museum Technicians and Conservators at $32,350 a year, $44,550 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Museum Technicians and Conservators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Maryland first at $73,267 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $76,900. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.