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Median $64,550
Occupation · SOC 25-4013
Museum Technicians and Conservators: pay and where the jobs are
What museum technicians and conservators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$51,440 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $57,410
- Median hourly wage
- $24.73
- Mean hourly wage
- $27.60
- Employment
- 12,310
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4013.
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See where your pay falls among museum technicians and conservators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do museum technicians and conservators make?
The median annual wage for museum technicians and conservators was $51,440 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,780 and the highest-paid 10% more than $87,530. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.73. About 12,310 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maryland ($76,900), District of Columbia ($76,110) and New York ($74,550). Maryland also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for museum technicians and conservators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,780 | $16.24 | $2,815 | $2,444 |
| 25th percentile | $41,050 | $19.73 | $3,421 | $2,930 |
| Median | $51,440 | $24.73 | $4,287 | $3,626 |
| 75th percentile | $67,640 | $32.52 | $5,637 | $4,701 |
| 90th percentile | $87,530 | $42.08 | $7,294 | $5,867 |
Museum Technicians and Conservators: pay by state
45 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$56,824 take-home in national prices
2
$53,569 take-home in national prices
3
$53,274 take-home in national prices
Where a median museum technicians and conservator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 450 | $76,900 | $48,740 | $140,670 | $59,642 | $56,824 |
| District of Columbia | 520 | $76,110 | $36,420 | $118,290 | $58,873 | $53,569 |
| New York | 1,050 | $74,550 | $46,000 | $103,800 | $57,494 | $53,274 |
| Connecticut | 280 | $62,030 | $43,670 | $95,420 | $49,049 | $47,340 |
| California | 1,610 | $61,550 | $39,660 | $86,200 | $49,103 | $44,349 |
| Alaska | 60 | $60,840 | $37,960 | $75,040 | $50,794 | $49,623 |
| Washington | 280 | $59,610 | $42,430 | $77,650 | $49,250 | $46,022 |
| Massachusetts | 440 | $58,530 | $45,740 | $83,470 | $46,233 | $43,716 |
| Illinois | 400 | $56,720 | $38,610 | $96,470 | $45,092 | $45,111 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $56,670 | $30,250 | $69,490 | $46,217 | $50,120 |
| Nevada | 70 | $56,470 | $36,460 | $92,860 | $47,554 | $47,564 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $56,420 | $30,670 | $67,640 | $47,513 | $51,260 |
| Rhode Island | 70 | $55,470 | $48,470 | $94,890 | $44,677 | $43,681 |
| Florida | 250 | $53,460 | $38,710 | $80,860 | $45,135 | $43,645 |
| Virginia | 310 | $52,190 | $37,060 | $90,230 | $41,928 | $41,470 |
| Colorado | 290 | $51,990 | $36,250 | $77,870 | $42,146 | $40,898 |
| Iowa | 100 | $51,740 | $34,370 | $82,020 | $42,439 | $48,357 |
| Minnesota | 170 | $50,140 | $39,690 | $70,950 | $40,361 | $40,925 |
| Kentucky | 80 | $49,940 | $28,320 | $74,770 | $40,676 | $45,116 |
| Georgia | 150 | $49,270 | $31,200 | $96,430 | $40,058 | $41,601 |
| Missouri | 850 | $49,170 | $37,660 | $69,970 | $40,314 | $44,391 |
| Maine | 60 | $48,460 | $36,810 | $63,410 | $39,282 | $40,476 |
| Oklahoma | 190 | $48,090 | $29,110 | $76,000 | $39,202 | $44,627 |
| Ohio | 350 | $47,570 | $33,280 | $80,750 | $39,538 | $42,617 |
| Pennsylvania | 310 | $47,150 | $35,040 | $84,290 | $38,585 | $39,545 |
| Arizona | 90 | $46,650 | $35,410 | $68,920 | $38,891 | $38,629 |
| Indiana | 290 | $46,490 | $33,780 | $80,360 | $38,193 | $40,923 |
| Kansas | 130 | $46,320 | $29,290 | $64,310 | $37,613 | $41,761 |
| Texas | 670 | $45,880 | $24,770 | $71,000 | $39,045 | $40,229 |
| Oregon | 170 | $45,820 | $34,720 | $69,320 | $35,839 | $34,674 |
| Tennessee | 210 | $44,710 | $31,910 | $69,470 | $38,104 | $41,477 |
| New Jersey | 110 | $43,780 | $32,220 | $76,770 | $36,116 | $33,194 |
| Idaho | 40 | $43,520 | $27,560 | $61,990 | $35,950 | $37,646 |
| Montana | 120 | $42,390 | $31,470 | $62,400 | $35,005 | $36,985 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $41,960 | $32,180 | $61,590 | $34,865 | $38,695 |
| Arkansas | 110 | $41,280 | $30,130 | $62,640 | $34,309 | $39,464 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $40,170 | $38,690 | $58,920 | $32,919 | $29,939 |
| North Carolina | 450 | $39,290 | $30,930 | $56,080 | $32,691 | $34,657 |
| Michigan | 340 | $39,000 | $33,780 | $62,140 | $32,110 | $33,372 |
| Wisconsin | 160 | $38,840 | $26,240 | $58,300 | $32,361 | $34,392 |
| Alabama | 130 | $38,350 | $23,770 | $70,400 | $31,438 | $35,394 |
| South Carolina | 90 | $38,290 | $30,680 | $56,050 | $32,483 | $34,648 |
| Delaware | 60 | $38,080 | $35,810 | $78,310 | $31,188 | $31,248 |
| Utah | 100 | $35,430 | $28,230 | $64,260 | $29,814 | $30,156 |
| Louisiana | 200 | $32,350 | $30,230 | $52,640 | $27,589 | $31,278 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4013. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.