Curators Salary
Curators in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC make a median of $49,240 a year, or about $23.68 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $78K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $50,466 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,711/month, about 50% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $49K get you in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About curators
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Pay for curators in Durham-Chapel Hill runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $63K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,711/month, which is 52.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for curatorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for curators in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary | $66K | $67K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $55K | $59K |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $53K | $55K |
| Wilmington | $48K | $50K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level curators (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $78K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Curators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Curators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $93K | +47% | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $82K | +30% | 60 |
| New York | $79K | +25% | 1,330 |
| California | $79K | +24% | 1,140 |
| Rhode Island | $78K | +23% | 70 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +23% | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $78K | +23% | 370 |
| Connecticut | $77K | +21% | 190 |
| South Dakota | $75K | +18% | 50 |
| Washington | $74K | +17% | 260 |
| Colorado | $74K | +16% | 300 |
| Nevada | $70K | +10% | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $64K | +1% | 300 |
| Alaska | $64K | +1% | 90 |
| Maryland | $64K | +1% | 170 |
| New Mexico | $64K | +0% | 140 |
| Ohio | $64K | +0% | 370 |
| Arizona | $64K | +0% | 150 |
| Michigan | $63K | -0% | 360 |
| Illinois | $63K | -1% | 410 |
| Oregon | $63K | -1% | 260 |
| Idaho | $62K | -2% | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | $62K | -2% | 520 |
| Wyoming | $62K | -2% | 90 |
| Alabama | $61K | -4% | 150 |
| Oklahoma | $61K | -5% | 150 |
| Louisiana | $60K | -5% | 160 |
| Texas | $60K | -5% | 690 |
| Missouri | $60K | -5% | 260 |
| Utah | $60K | -6% | 50 |
| Florida | $60K | -6% | 420 |
| Nebraska | $59K | -8% | 120 |
| Virginia | $58K | -8% | 450 |
| Georgia | $58K | -9% | 230 |
| Tennessee | $58K | -9% | 190 |
| Delaware | $57K | -10% | 60 |
| Kansas | $57K | -11% | 120 |
| Vermont | $57K | -11% | 60 |
| Maine | $56K | -11% | 110 |
| Kentucky | $55K | -13% | 130 |
| Montana | $54K | -14% | 100 |
| Minnesota | $54K | -15% | 220 |
| Indiana | $54K | -15% | 220 |
| Arkansas | $54K | -15% | 80 |
| Iowa | $54K | -15% | 230 |
| Hawaii | $51K | -20% | 140 |
| North Carolina | $49K | -22% | 600 |
| South Carolina | $47K | -26% | 120 |
| Mississippi | $41K | -36% | 30 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track curators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Durham-Chapel Hill numbers change.
Related careers in Education
Frequently asked questions
Can a curator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 52.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for curators in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new curators typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,183/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 78% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is curator a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $49K here vs. $63K nationally.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for curators?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $63K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $50K — below the national median.
How much do curators make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $49,240 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,390, and experienced curators can clear $77,730. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,282/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 52.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a curators salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median curators salary is worth about $50,466 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do curators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.