Income Figures from AIC Membership Survey

The January issue of the AIC News reported the detailed results of its membership survey, which covered income and benefits. The page that summarized the income figures in a series of tables showed:

• Most of those under 30 years of age make less than $25,000 a year, while most of those in all other age brackets make $25,000-$50,000.
• Most of those making over $50,000 a year work for a commercial firm. Most of those earning under $25,000 a year are either self-employed or serving as interns or fellows.
• A larger proportion of self-taught members make over $50,000 than either those with a graduate degree or those who learned by apprenticeship. However, in all three educational categories, most make $25,000 to $50,000 a year.
• Paintings conservators are twice as likely as any other group to make over $50,000 a year; but book and paper conservators (which includes art on paper) are next most likely; 15% of them are in that income category. At the other end of the scale, textile conservators have the largest proportion of their numbers in the under-$25,000 category. Only 7 of the AIC members in research and technical studies responded; 3 of them made under $25,000 a year. This is probably not a representative sample, since 49 members are listed under "Natural Science" in the AIC directory.
• Over 1/4 of the fellows, as well as 1/4 of associates and professional associates, learned by apprenticeship. Two-thirds of the fellows and professional associates have a graduate program degree. Nineteen percent of associates are self-taught; fellows come next with 7%, and PAs last with 3%.
• Individual conservators generally charge up to $600 a day; 26% charge less than $300, and about 20% charge $300-$400; another 20% $400-$500, and another 20% $500-$600; 3 individual respondents charge $1000 or more per hour. Institutional conservators' rates are about $150/hour higher as a rule, but none of them are in the $1000/hour category.