What Does a Museum Technician Do?
Museums often hold many kinds of objects that have a variety of needs, from steady humidity for paintings to pest checks for textiles. The ability to handle, record and store numerous objects is essential to ensure that each one lasts for future visitors. Museum technicians, sometimes called preparators, provide that care for curators, researchers and the public.
Also known as: Curatorial Museum Assistant, Curatorial Museum Specialist, Museum Preparator, Senior Curatorial Museum Specialist
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Art Preparator, Conservation Technician, Conservator, Exhibit Technician, Museum Registrar, Objects Conservator, Paintings Conservator, Paper Conservator.
Museum Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a museum technician include:
- Handle, pack and crate objects for storage, exhibitions and outgoing loans using archival materials.
- Write condition reports with photographs before and after each move, loan or display.
- Catalog new acquisitions in the collections database, assigning numbers and recording measurements.
- Monitor temperature, humidity and light in galleries and storage; report readings outside set ranges.
- Install and deinstall exhibitions, hanging artwork and placing objects in cases with curators.
- Check traps and inspect storage for insects and mold as part of pest management.
- Make storage mounts, boxes and padded supports sized to individual objects.
- Photograph objects for records, publications and online collections.
- Track object locations so every item can be found quickly for research or display.
- Assist visiting researchers and students, supervising handling in the study room.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a museum technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Safe object handling and packing
- Collections database entry (TMS, PastPerfect or similar)
- Condition reporting and object photography
- Basic carpentry for mounts and crates
- Reading environmental dataloggers
- Steady hands and close attention
- Lifting and ladder work during installations
- Archival materials and storage standards
Education and Training
Experience of packing and moving objects as an intern could lead to a paid technician post. Most museum technicians also hold a bachelor's degree in art history, anthropology, history or a science, and some start out as gallery attendants who move into collections work. You could also move into related work such as registration or, with graduate study, conservation.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $41,050 - $67,640 per year, with a median of $51,440.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Museum Technicians and Conservators.
According to BLS, employment of museum technicians and conservators is projected to grow about 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year. That is modest growth in a small field. Openings often are tied to grants and special exhibitions, but technicians always will be needed as loans travel between museums and as storage rooms fill up.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Museum technicians and conservators.
Museum Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $33,780 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $41,050 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $51,440 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $67,640 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $87,530 |
Highest-Paying States for Museum Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Maryland ($76,900), District of Columbia ($76,110), New York ($74,550), Connecticut ($62,030), California ($61,550). Pay is lowest in Delaware ($38,080), Utah ($35,430), Louisiana ($32,350).
Median pay in all 45 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,350 |
| Alaska | $60,840 |
| Arizona | $46,650 |
| Arkansas | $41,280 |
| California | $61,550 |
| Colorado | $51,990 |
| Connecticut | $62,030 |
| Delaware | $38,080 |
| District of Columbia | $76,110 |
| Florida | $53,460 |
| Georgia | $49,270 |
| Hawaii | $40,170 |
| Idaho | $43,520 |
| Illinois | $56,720 |
| Indiana | $46,490 |
| Iowa | $51,740 |
| Kansas | $46,320 |
| Kentucky | $49,940 |
| Louisiana | $32,350 |
| Maine | $48,460 |
| Maryland | $76,900 |
| Massachusetts | $58,530 |
| Michigan | $39,000 |
| Minnesota | $50,140 |
| Missouri | $49,170 |
| Montana | $42,390 |
| Nebraska | $41,960 |
| Nevada | $56,470 |
| New Jersey | $43,780 |
| New Mexico | $56,670 |
| New York | $74,550 |
| North Carolina | $39,290 |
| Ohio | $47,570 |
| Oklahoma | $48,090 |
| Oregon | $45,820 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,150 |
| Rhode Island | $55,470 |
| South Carolina | $38,290 |
| Tennessee | $44,710 |
| Texas | $45,880 |
| Utah | $35,430 |
| Virginia | $52,190 |
| Washington | $59,610 |
| Wisconsin | $38,840 |
| Wyoming | $56,420 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as museum technicians and conservators about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 88% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 79% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 69% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
- 62% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 62% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 61% use email every day
- 44% spend more than half the workday on their feet
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Master's degree | 41% |
| Bachelor's degree | 24% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 20% |
| Associate's degree | 7% |
Tools and Software Museum Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Fine Arts, English Language, Public Safety and Security, History and Archeology, Administration and Management.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 25-4013.00 (Museum Technicians and Conservators). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.