# Curators

US SOC code 25-4012. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-4012

Also called: Museum curator, Collections curator, Gallery curator, Exhibition curator, Assistant curator.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **12,150** US curators, with median pay of **$63,420** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2004, the highest was **12,890**, in May 2019. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Museum_of_Natural_History) of **150** from 1870, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for curators: Google Arts and Culture, 2010 to 2022. Online access and IIIF standards increased public use of museum collections substantially.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-4012&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **51.9%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Curators employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1846
- Latest US employment: 12,150 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $63,420 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +4.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1870 | 150 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1906 | 600 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Smithsonian Institution Archives [2] |
| 1950 | 2,500 (estimate) | $3,500 (estimate) | Est., American Alliance of Museums (employment) [3]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [6] |
| 1980 | 5,800 (estimate) | $16,000 (estimate) | Est., American Alliance of Museums (employment) [3]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [7] |
| 2000 | 10,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., O\*NET 25-4012.00 [4] |
| 2004 | 8,590 | $43,620 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 8,790 | $45,240 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 9,520 | $46,300 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 10,120 | $46,000 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 10,820 | $47,220 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 10,410 | $47,930 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 10,550 | $48,450 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 10,340 | $48,800 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 10,370 | $49,590 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 10,910 | $50,550 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 11,200 | $51,280 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 11,870 | $51,520 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 11,170 | $53,360 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 11,550 | $53,770 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 12,280 | $53,780 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 12,890 | $54,570 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 11,750 | $56,990 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 11,030 | $60,110 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 11,620 | $60,380 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 12,510 | $61,750 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 12,280 | $61,770 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 12,150 | $63,420 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (85)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia -- American Museum of Natural History (founding 1869, staff history) and Metropolitan Museum of Art history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Museum_of_Natural_History), Wikipedia
2. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- American Association of Museums Records, 1906-1985 (founding documentation)](https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217604), Smithsonian Institution Archives
3. [American Alliance of Museums -- A Brief History of the AAM (institutional growth 1906-1960)](https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/museum-facts-data/), American Alliance of Museums
4. [O\*NET 25-4012.00 -- BLS-sourced employment and occupational outlook (2000 SOC introduction reference)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-4012.00), O\*NET / BLS
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [University of Missouri Libraries -- "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (BLS wage data, professional occupations)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
7. [University of Missouri Libraries -- "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1980-1989" (BLS wage data, professional occupations)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1980-1989), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1823-1887 (collections management methods)](https://siarchives.si.edu/history/spencer-fullerton-baird), Smithsonian Institution Archives
11. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- American Association of Museums Records, 1906-1985](https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217604), Smithsonian Institution Archives
12. [Association of Art Museum Curators -- History (founding context 2001, references to earlier AAM professionalization)](https://www.artcurators.org/page/History), Association of Art Museum Curators
13. [Museum Computer Network (MCN) -- History of museum computing and collections management systems](https://mcn.edu/resources/conference-as-publishing-or-expanding-a-digital-arts-journalism-conference-online/), Museum Computer Network
14. [American Alliance of Museums -- Museum Facts and Data](https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/museum-facts-data/), American Alliance of Museums
15. [Gallery Systems TMS -- The Museum System collections management (platform history)](https://www.gallerysystems.com/transition-to-tms-collections/), Gallery Systems
16. [Getty Provenance Index -- Art Ownership History Research Database](https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/provenance/), J. Paul Getty Trust
17. [Google Arts and Culture -- Digitization partnership platform (launched as Art Project 2011)](https://artsandculture.google.com/), Google
18. [Smartify -- AI-Powered Museum Object Recognition and Visitor Engagement Platform](https://smartify.org/), Smartify
19. [Europeana -- AI-Enhanced Cultural Heritage Discovery APIs](https://pro.europeana.eu/page/apis), Europeana
20. [American Alliance of Museums -- TrendsWatch 2025: AI in Museums](https://www.aam-us.org/programs/trendswatch/), American Alliance of Museums
21. [Axiell EMu -- Multidisciplinary Collections Management System](https://www.axiell.com/solutions/product/emu/), Axiell
22. [Bloomberg Connects -- Free Museum Digital Engagement App](https://www.bloombergconnects.org/), Bloomberg Philanthropies

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-4012 Curators (2025: 14.2 thousand; 2035: 14.9 thousand; +4.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-4012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-4012.00, human-rated β 0.519)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1823-1887](https://siarchives.si.edu/history/spencer-fullerton-baird), Smithsonian Institution Archives
26. [Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale -- Our History](https://peabody.yale.edu/about/our-history), Yale Peabody Museum
27. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- American Association of Museums Records, 1906-1985](https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217604), Smithsonian Institution Archives
28. [American Alliance of Museums -- Museum Facts and Data (federal support for museums)](https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/museum-facts-data/), American Alliance of Museums
29. [Wikipedia -- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA, 1990)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_Graves_Protection_and_Repatriation_Act), Wikipedia
30. [Association of Art Museum Curators -- History (founding 2001)](https://www.artcurators.org/page/History), Association of Art Museum Curators
31. [American Alliance of Museums -- "National Snapshot of COVID-19 Impact on United States Museums" (October 2020)](https://www.aam-us.org/2020/11/17/national-snapshot-of-covid-19/), American Alliance of Museums

### Predecessors & successors

32. [Smithsonian Institution Archives -- Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1823-1887 (origin of the US curator profession)](https://siarchives.si.edu/history/spencer-fullerton-baird), Smithsonian Institution Archives
33. [Wikipedia -- American Museum of Natural History (early curatorial staff from academic backgrounds)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Museum_of_Natural_History), Wikipedia
34. [Association of Art Museum Curators -- History (career trajectory data)](https://www.artcurators.org/page/History), Association of Art Museum Curators

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Curators, Museum Technicians, and Conservators, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Curators (25-4012.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-4012.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [American Alliance of Museums — TrendsWatch 2025: AI in Museums](https://www.aam-us.org/programs/trendswatch/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Museum Computer Network (MCN) 2024 — AI and Collections Management Sessions](https://mcn.edu/resources/conference-as-publishing-or-expanding-a-digital-arts-journalism-conference-online/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Bloomberg Connects — Free Museum Digital Engagement App](https://www.bloombergconnects.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Smartify — AI-Powered Museum Object Recognition and Visitor Engagement Platform](https://smartify.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Axiell EMu — AI-Assisted Collections Management Documentation](https://www.axiell.com/solutions/product/emu/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gallery Systems TMS — The Museum System Collections Management](https://www.gallerysystems.com/transition-to-tms-collections/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Google Arts & Culture — AI-Powered Art Discovery and Collection Digitization](https://artsandculture.google.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.