Archivists and curators salary in the UK
The median full-time salary for archivists and curators in the UK is £34,237 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,348 a month.
Pay range for archivists and curators
This is the ONS occupation group "Archivists and curators" (SOC 2020 code 2472). ONS figures for 2025 show that a quarter earn less than £30,988 and half earn less than £34,237.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 25th percentile | £30,988 | £2,582 | £25,831 | £2,153 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £34,237 | £2,853 | £28,170 | £2,348 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for archivists and curators as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 12%.
Where archivists and curators rank
The median for archivists and curators ranks joint 203rd of 362 occupations on this site, in the lower half, and 88th of 91 in professional occupations. It is £4,802 (12.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs. ONS change on the previous year: the median for archivists and curators rose 5.3%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs.
Jobs with the nearest medians: Vehicle paint technicians (£34,531), Teaching professionals n.e.c. (£34,396), Routine inspectors and testers (£34,360), Computer system and equipment installers and servicers (£34,237), Plasterers (£34,016) and Carpenters and joiners (£34,014).
How spread out pay is
ONS published the 25th percentile (£30,988) but not the 75th, so we cannot show the middle half of the range for archivists and curators.
The mean for archivists and curators (total pay divided by the number of employees) is £36,514, which is £2,277 (6.7%) higher than the median. When the mean is above the median, a smaller number of higher salaries are pulling the average up. For all UK full-time jobs the mean is 24.3% above the median, so the gap for archivists and curators is smaller.
Archivists and curators and related jobs
Among these 4 jobs in the same or nearby ONS occupation groups, this one has the 3rd highest median. The highest median among them is £40,594 (welfare professionals n.e.c.) and the lowest £31,183 (clergy).
| Job | SOC code | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welfare professionals n.e.c. | 2469 | £40,594 | £2,729 |
| Librarians | 2471 | £38,068 | £2,577 |
| Archivists and curators | 2472 | £34,237 | £2,348 |
| Clergy | 2463 | £31,183 | £2,164 |
Take-home pay against all jobs
At the median, archivists and curators take home about £2,348 a month, against £2,636 on the UK median for all jobs. Scotland has its own income tax bands, so take-home pay on the same salary is different there.
| Group | Median a year | Take-home a month | Take-home a month in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archivists and curators | £34,237 | £2,348 | £2,347 |
| All full-time employee jobs, UK | £39,039 | £2,636 | £2,631 |
Related pages
All jobs in the Professional occupations table, average salary by area, the take home pay calculator, salary to hourly calculator and pay rise calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, SOC 2020 unit group 2472. Take-home: 2026/27 rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 14: earnings by occupation (4-digit SOC), 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (ONS)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
On the median full-time salary of £34,237, take-home pay is about £2,348 a month (£28,170 a year) after 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, with tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan. In Scotland, where income tax is different, it is about £2,347 a month.
ONS figures for full-time jobs (2025) show that a quarter earn less than £30,988 and half earn less than £34,237. ONS did not publish every point in the range because some estimates are not reliable enough.
No. The median for archivists and curators is £34,237, which is £4,802 (12.3%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs (ONS, 2025). It ranks joint 203rd of 362 occupations on this site.