What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called art curator, collections curator, content curator and data curator.
$63,420
Median pay a year
12,150
People do this work
6
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A Curator resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Planning community programs
Ordering instructional materials
Inspecting work sites
Inspecting facilities or sites
Inspecting facility conditions
Evaluating archival characteristics
Evaluating scholarly materials
Developing library databases
Researching expertise topics
Constructing exhibits
Writing grant proposals
Writing articles
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Curator
Summary
Curator administering collections of artwork, historic items, and scientific specimens, overseeing acquisition, storage, and exhibition while managing cataloging systems and providing public information
Experience
Curator
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Planned and organized the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials
Developed and maintained the institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems using computer databases
Provided information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public
Negotiated and authorized purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections
Studied, examined, and tested acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, and history
Designed, organized, or conducted tours, workshops, and instructional sessions to acquaint individuals with the institution's facilities
Trained and supervised curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns
Skills
Checking & Planning
Planning community programs, Inspecting work sites, Inspecting facilities or sites, Inspecting facility conditions, Evaluating archival characteristics, Evaluating scholarly materials, Developing library databases, Researching expertise topics
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Planned and organized exhibitions and collectionsDeveloped and maintained cataloging systemsConducted special research projects in expertiseProvided information to curators and the publicNegotiated purchases, sales, and loans of collectionsInspected premises for repairs and climate control
becomes
On your resume
Planned and organized exhibitions and collections, enhancing public engagement and educational value
Conducted special research projects in area of expertise, contributing to the institution's knowledge base
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Add how many exhibitions you planned each year
The line
Planned and organized several exhibitions each year, boosting public engagement and educational value
Add how many exhibitions you planned each year
Pick one that fits
Several exhibitions each yearA few major exhibitions annuallyMultiple themed exhibitions every season
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention what improved in the institution's knowledge because of your research
The line
Conducted special research projects in area of expertise, contributing to the institution's knowledge base
Mention what improved in the institution's knowledge because of your research
Pick one that fits
Expanded understanding of historical artifactsInformed future exhibition themesEnhanced educational programs for visitors
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What a Curator does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.
What it pays
How much does a Curator make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$48,870
Median
$63,420
75th percentile
$83,080
About 12,150 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$59,260
$63,880
$74,460
AL
$47,120
$61,120
$75,270
AR
$46,240
$53,870
$73,990
AZ
$51,960
$63,510
$94,920
CA
$66,480
$78,740
$99,430
CO
$60,460
$73,630
$88,740
CT
$59,500
$76,510
$102,110
DC
$74,030
$93,310
$111,530
DE
$49,070
$56,800
$76,060
FL
$46,070
$59,500
$78,720
GA
$46,860
$57,810
$77,270
HI
$40,640
$50,720
$79,750
IA
$41,600
$53,830
$66,470
ID
$44,610
$62,190
$63,360
IL
$48,320
$63,060
$80,410
IN
$44,720
$53,910
$63,380
KS
$42,790
$56,630
$74,370
KY
$42,710
$55,460
$76,710
LA
$47,390
$60,080
$70,440
MA
$58,380
$77,790
$97,880
MD
$53,660
$63,750
$84,150
ME
$49,550
$56,470
$65,350
MI
$47,700
$63,190
$82,240
MN
$39,250
$53,920
$76,290
MO
$46,780
$59,960
$80,830
MS
$35,910
$40,600
$55,470
MT
$39,670
$54,460
$61,140
NC
$47,560
$49,470
$69,360
NE
$45,240
$58,600
$77,460
NH
$57,720
$82,490
$97,280
NJ
$58,280
$77,800
$93,240
NM
$52,070
$63,690
$64,830
NV
$53,140
$69,900
$83,880
NY
$58,340
$79,120
$103,240
OH
$46,270
$63,640
$84,590
OK
$47,570
$60,560
$75,190
OR
$46,210
$62,790
$77,870
PA
$48,590
$62,100
$85,490
RI
$64,430
$77,930
$104,350
SC
$41,990
$47,200
$69,060
SD
$57,460
$74,990
$95,780
TN
$46,530
$57,580
$76,690
TX
$50,120
$59,990
$77,350
UT
$46,380
$59,910
$73,630
VA
$44,410
$58,200
$79,500
VT
$36,810
$56,520
$72,190
WA
$58,740
$74,030
$93,090
WI
$57,180
$64,370
$78,260
WY
$39,160
$61,910
$74,060
Other names
Other names for this job
art curator, collections curator, content curator, data curator, digital curator, education curator, educational institution curator, exhibitions curator, exhibits curator, herbarium curator, metadata curator, museum curator.
More names for this work
natural science curator, photography and prints curator, photography curator, vertebrate zoology curator, art handler, coin collector, collections manager, educational resource coordinator, field collector, museum coordinator, museum educator, museum manager, museum registrar, museum specialist, numismatist, old coin dealer, philatelist, preparator, preservation specialist, stamp collector.
What you can already claim
What you can already claim as a Curator
Below are the tasks a Curator job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
You can already claim 4 of the 9 tasks this job is made of.
What you have not done yet. Inspecting facility conditions, Evaluating archival characteristics, Evaluating scholarly materials
Your resume, already started
Curator
Planning community programs
Ordering instructional materials
Inspecting work sites
Inspecting facilities or sites
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This page is about the occupation Curators. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.