Curators pay range in Philadelphia
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $47,410 a year or less, while the top 10% make $104,150 or more. The middle half of curators in Philadelphia earn between $51,140 and $85,690.
- $47K10th
- $51K25th
- $64KMedian
- $86K75th
- $104K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $72,390 | $6,032 | $34.80 |
| Median | $63,860 | $5,322 | $30.70 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $51,140 | $4,262 | $24.59 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $85,690 | $7,141 | $41.20 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Curators salary after taxes in Philadelphia
On the average salary of $72,390, a single filer in Philadelphia takes home about $57,534 a year, or $4,794 a month and $2,213 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in PA | $57,534 | $4,794 |
| Working in NJ | $57,305 | $4,775 |
| Working in MD | $56,529 | $4,711 |
| Working in DE | $56,210 | $4,684 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
Is Philadelphia a good place for curators? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Philadelphia area are 3% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 102.6), so the average $72,390 buys what about $70,587 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.2 times the median wage of all jobs in Philadelphia ($54,310). A typical home costs $390,463, or 5.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Curators salary in other Pennsylvania cities
Philadelphia ranks 1st of 4 Pennsylvania metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Philadelphia$72,390
- Pittsburgh$69,550
- Harrisburg$67,950
- Lancaster$60,230
Highest-paying cities for curators
New York, NY pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($99,910).
- New York, NY$99,910
- New Haven, CT$99,830
- San Francisco, CA$98,200
- Ann Arbor, MI$95,110
- Washington, DC$93,030
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Curators salary in Philadelphia: questions
How much do curators make an hour in Philadelphia?
$34.80 an hour on average, and $30.70 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level curators salary in Philadelphia?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $47,410 a year and the 25th percentile is $51,140, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the curators take-home pay in Philadelphia?
About $57,534 a year ($4,794 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $72,390. Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
Do curators earn more in Philadelphia than elsewhere?
The average here is 6% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($77,297).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 25-4012; area Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (37980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.8%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.27, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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