Career comparison
Curator vs. Historian
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Historians earn more at the median ($76,750 vs. $63,420), while historians usually get to work faster (2 years after a bachelor’s of training). Curators build museum collections and plan exhibitions that tell stories. Historians research and interpret the past for governments, museums and the public.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Curator | Historian | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $63,420 ($30.49/hr) | $76,750 ($36.90/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $40,470 – $107,140 | $42,730 – $131,810 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +4.9% (about as fast as average) | +3.0% (about as fast as average) |
| Openings per year | 1,600 | 300 |
| Typical entry education | Master's degree | Master's degree |
| Training time | 2 years after a bachelor’s plus experience | 2 years after a bachelor’s |
| Key credential | Master’s | Master’s in history |
| Work setting | Curators work in museums, galleries and historic sites.. | Historians work in offices, archives, museums and historic sites.. |
What each job does
Curator
- Research collections
- Recommend acquisitions
- Plan exhibitions
- Write labels and catalogs
- Work with donors
Historian
- Research archives
- Conduct oral histories
- Write reports
- Develop exhibits
- Preserve records
How they’re similar
Both careers involve creative work, working independently, desk work, and helping others. They sit in different fields, arts, media & design and science, engineering & lab, but share transferable skills such as storytelling and curiosity.
Which should you choose?
Choose curator if…
- I love art or history
- I like research
- I tell good stories
Choose historian if…
- I love history
- I like archives
- I write well
Still torn? Take the Curator fit quiz and the Historian fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, curator or historian?
Historians earn more at the median: $76,750 versus $63,420 for curators, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Historians typically train faster (2 years after a bachelor’s) than curators (2 years after a bachelor’s plus experience).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects curators to grow +4.9% from 2025–35, compared with +3.0% for historians.