Museum Technician salary
From 48 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 25-4013: Museum Technicians and Conservators
At a glance
- Mostly Level IV (expert). 42% of Museum Technician filings are Level IV, compared with 18% across all H-1B filings.
- Median up 5% since FY2020. From $60,046 in FY2020 to $63,271 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Museum Technician H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 48 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Museum Technician jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 25-4013, Museum Technicians and Conservators). The median base salary is $69,442, 43% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $58,888 and $81,920. The most common wage level is Level IV (expert), at 42% of filings.
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Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 0% of filings
Mid-level · 31% of filings
Senior · 28% of filings
Expert · 42% of filings
Level medians mix different jobs, so a higher level can show a lower median. Within one job, pay rises with level.
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | – | 0 |
| Level II · Qualified | $70,000 | 11 |
| Level III · Experienced | $67,876 | 10 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $90,000 | 15 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Museum Technician pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 1 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $73,000 | 21 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Museum Technician does
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
Typical tasks
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
- Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
- Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
Preparation
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
O*NET occupation: Museum Technicians and Conservators (25-4013.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Museum Technicians and Conservators), the median annual wage was $51,440 in May 2025, with 12,310 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $69,442, 35% higher.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,957 | $33,780 |
| 25th percentile | $58,888 | $41,050 |
| Median | $69,442 | $51,440 |
| 75th percentile | $81,920 | $67,640 |
| 90th percentile | $100,000 | $87,530 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $49,957 |
| 25th | $58,888 |
| 50th (median) | $69,442 |
| 75th | $81,920 |
| 90th | $100,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $60,046 | $42,000 | $67,000 | 13 |
| FY2021 | $59,390 | $53,726 | $79,310 | 21 |
| FY2022 | $57,691 | $45,025 | $77,475 | 23 |
| FY2023 | $61,800 | $50,032 | $80,000 | 21 |
| FY2024 | $74,000 | $61,500 | $89,075 | 31 |
| FY2025 | $70,620 | $59,563 | $86,499 | 38 |
| FY2026 | $63,271 | $54,502 | $76,537 | 10 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Museum Technician make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Museum Technician jobs is $69,442 (48 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $58,888 and $81,920.
Do H-1B Museum Technicians earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($69,442) is 35% higher than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($51,440, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.