Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-4013

Museum Technicians and Conservators

The published band from $33,780 to $87,530 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Law Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Museum Technicians and Conservators: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary ($93K) , Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary ($100K) , Economics Teachers, Postsecondary ($124K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Museum Technicians and Conservators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-4013 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, a…
  2. 2. Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearanc…
  3. 3. Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control
  4. 4. Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearanc…
  5. 5. Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and…
  6. 6. Photograph objects for documentation
  7. 7. Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair
  8. 8. Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping
  9. 9. Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods…
  10. 10. Enter information about museum collections into computer databases
  11. 11. Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or arch…
  12. 12. Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff

Museum Technicians and Conservators: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-4013 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Fine Arts. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.9
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  3. 3. Speaking 3.6
  4. 4. Writing 3.3
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.3
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.1
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.1
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Fine Arts 3.5
  2. 2. English Language 3.4
  3. 3. Public Safety and Security 3.3
  4. 4. History and Archeology 3.2
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.1
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$33,780 to $87,530
median $51,440 · ~2.6× spread
$51K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
1,900
Annual openings
12,310
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Museum Technicians and Conservators

1. Alaska $60,840
2. New York $74,550
3. Connecticut $62,030
4. District of Columbia $76,110
5. Massachusetts $58,530
6. California $61,550
7. Illinois $56,720
8. Washington $59,610
9. New Mexico $56,670
10. Maryland $76,900

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary $93,250
  2. 2. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary $99,650
  3. 3. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
  4. 4. Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary $101,420
  5. 5. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
  6. 6. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310

The OEWS band for Museum Technicians and Conservators runs from $33,780 (10th) to $87,530 (90th), about 2.6× wide, with median $51,440. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $60,840. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Museum Technicians and Conservators pay-rank #56 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Museum Technicians and Conservators lands at #56, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Museum Technicians and Conservators is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Museum Technicians and Conservators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-4013

Alaska · top state for Museum Technicians and Conservators

$61K published median

New York · #2 state pay

$75K · behind Alaska

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Museum Technicians and Conservators · $129K

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Museum Technicians and Conservators · $93K

Compare Museum Technicians and Conservators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Museum Technicians and Conservators with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Museum Technicians and Conservators land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Museum Technicians and Conservators is pay-rank #56 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other ($51K), Self-Enrichment Teachers ($47K), Library Technicians ($45K), Tutors ($43K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do museum technicians and conservators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Museum Technicians and Conservators. Leading ones include: Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, a…; Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearanc…; Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control; Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearanc…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for museum technicians and conservators? ▼
For SOC 25-4013, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.9), Reading Comprehension (3.6), Speaking (3.6), Writing (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Fine Arts, English Language, Public Safety and Security. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Museum Technicians and Conservators? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $33,780 and the 90th at $87,530 for Museum Technicians and Conservators (2.6× spread). The national median is $51,440. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Museum Technicians and Conservators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Museum Technicians and Conservators is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 1,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Museum Technicians and Conservators? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Museum Technicians and Conservators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Museum Technicians and Conservators? ▼
Alaska ($60,840), New York ($74,550), Connecticut ($62,030) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Museum Technicians and Conservators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-4013. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Museum Technicians and Conservators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics