Museum technicians and conservators
SOC Code: 25-4013
Museum technicians and conservators carries a 32% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $47,460 and +5.4% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 15,700 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 32% AI exposure, Museum technicians and conservators sits 5 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 37% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
57/100
Museum technicians and conservators, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $47,460
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth B+ +5.4%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C+ 32% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Museum technicians and conservators in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Museum technicians and conservators shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Museum technicians and conservators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Museum technicians and conservators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
32% Lower than most lower than 63% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Museum technicians and conservators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Museum technicians and conservators is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Museum technicians and conservators's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 25-4013) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Museum technicians and conservators be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Museum technicians and conservators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- 2. Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
- 3. Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control.
- 4. Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
- 5. Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
- 6. Photograph objects for documentation.
- 7. Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- 8. Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
- 9. Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
- 10. Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Fine Arts
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- History and Archeology
- Administration and Management
- Chemistry
- Administrative
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Design
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Museum technicians and conservators?
Museum technicians and conservators has an AI exposure score of 32%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Museum technicians and conservators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Museum technicians and conservators is projected to grow by 5.4% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 15,700 workers.
What skills are needed for Museum technicians and conservators?
Key skills for Museum technicians and conservators include Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Museum technicians and conservators earn?
The median annual wage for Museum technicians and conservators is $47,460, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Museum technicians and conservators?
The typical entry-level education for Museum technicians and conservators is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Museum technicians and conservators?
Museum technicians and conservators roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Museum technicians and conservators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (32% here).
- Architecture teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers · AI exposure 32%
- Bus drivers, school · AI exposure 32%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+5.4% here).
- Laundry and dry-cleaning workers · growth +5.4%
- Soil and plant scientists · growth +5.4%
- Athletes and sports competitors · growth +5.5%
- Cooks, all other · growth +5.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 57 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Museum technicians and conservators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Museum technicians and conservators side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).