Curators Salary
Curators in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA make a median of $74,950 a year, or about $36.03 an hour. The range runs from $51K at the entry level to $104K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.44), so that salary is closer to $70,415 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,201/month, about 45% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $75K get you in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario’s Regional Price Parity (106.44). 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario sits well above the national pay line for curators, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $63K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,201/month, which is 45.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.44), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for curators in metros near Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $77K | $68K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $91K | $79K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $76K | $68K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $78K | $74K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Entry-level curators (10th percentile) start around $51K. Mid-career wages sit at $75K. Top earners bring in $104K or more, a $53K 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario numbers change.
Related careers in Education
Frequently asked questions
Can a curator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $75K, rent takes 45.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,201/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for curators in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new curators typically earn — is $51K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,055/month. At HUD’s $2,201/month FMR, rent would take 72% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $75K here vs. $63K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 6% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario compare to the national average for curators?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario pays $75K median vs. the U.S. average of $63K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $70K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do curators make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The median is $74,950 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,910, and experienced curators can clear $103,790. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $75K enough to live in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,834/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,201/month, which eats 45.5% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has a Regional Price Parity of 106.44 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median curators salary is worth about $70,415 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.