Museum Technicians and Conservators Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of museum technicians and conservators to grow 3.6% from 2025 to 2035 (about 500 more jobs), with about 1,600 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $51,440 a year ranks 522nd of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.6%
- Openings a year
- 1,600
- Median pay
- $51,440
- Pay rank
- 522nd of 825
Is employment of museum technicians and conservators growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of museum technicians and conservators to rise 3.6% (about 500 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +1.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 64 educational instruction and library occupations with a projection. That change ranks 347th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 14,000 |
| Employment, 2035 | 14,500 |
| Projected change | +3.6% |
| Openings a year | 1,600 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 14,000 jobs here differ from the 12,310 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 1,600 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 584th most of 830 occupations. About 97% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 50 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for museum technicians and conservators rank?
The median of $51,440 a year ranks 522nd of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the lower half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curators | +4.9% | 1,600 | $63,420 |
| Archivists | +3.4% | 1,100 | $64,550 |
| Librarians and Media Collections Specialists | +2.6% | 12,600 | $68,270 |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary | -0.3% | 8,000 | $63,820 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.6% | 700 | $96,870 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | +1.4% | 2,200 | $75,240 |
| Historians | +3.0% | 300 | $76,750 |
| Craft Artists | +2.0% | 1,000 | $46,080 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.