Curators Salary
Curators in Tucson, AZ make a median of $59,550 a year, or about $28.63 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $96K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.9), that's roughly $61,455 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,402/month, about 35.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $60K get you in Tucson?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Tucson’s Regional Price Parity (96.9). 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
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What this looks like in Tucson
Curators pay in Tucson tracks closely to the national median, $60K locally vs. $63K nationwide, a 6% difference. Rent runs $1,402/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 96.9) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for curators in metros near Tucson, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $84K | $81K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $77K | $68K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $91K | $79K |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $78K | , |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tucson, AZ
Entry-level curators (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $96K or more, a $59K 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 Tucson numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a curator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tucson?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 34.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,402/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for curators in Tucson?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new curators typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,209/month. At HUD’s $1,402/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 Tucson?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $60K locally vs. $63K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Tucson compare to the national average for curators?
Tucson pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $63K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $61K — below the national median.
How much do curators make in Tucson, AZ?
The median is $59,550 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,820, and experienced curators can clear $95,870. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in Tucson?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,033/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,402/month, which eats 34.8% 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 Tucson?
Tucson has a Regional Price Parity of 96.9 (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 $61,455 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.