How many museums are in the US?

Name: Museums on Google Maps in the US, by state
Creator: Primavera
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

By Louis-Marie Giudicenti. Published November 9, 2026. Updated November 9, 2026. Data read November 9, 2026.

There are 27,595 museums on Google Maps in the US as of November 9, 2026, one for every 12,325 residents. The Institute of Museum and Library Services counted 35,144 museums in 2014, historical societies and nature centers included, and the Census 5,480 museums with paid employees in 2023.

27,595
museums on Google Maps in the US: 0.8
per 10,000 residentsone for every 12,325: 2,154
in California, the most of any state: 3.0
per 10,000 residents in Wyoming, the most of any state

Source: Primavera’s database of Google Maps listings, snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026. Population: Census 2024 estimates. See method.

Our count next to the Census and the official figures

Each source counts something different: Google Maps lists places, the Census counts businesses with or without paid staff, and federations count their members or their own definition. Here they are side by side.

Number of museums in the US: Primavera’s Google Maps count next to official figures
Source and what it counts	Year	Number
Primavera, Google Maps listings: museums open on the map, service points left out	2026	27,595
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museum Universe Data File, announced May 19, 2014: Active museums of every kind, historical societies, nature centers, botanical gardens and arboretums included	2014	35,144
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: Museums with paid employees (NAICS 712110)	2023	5,480

Primavera’s count is 5.0 times the Census count of establishments with paid employees (5,480 in 2023).

Sources: Census national files and federation pages read on November 9, 2026; Primavera, snapshot 2026-11.

Why the numbers differ

A wider list. The IMLS list includes historical societies, nature centers, botanical gardens and arboretums, some with no building open to visitors. Google Maps lists places people can visit.
Paid staff. County Business Patterns counts only museums with paid employees (5,480) and leaves out most of those run by a government. Many small museums run on volunteers.
Kinds of museums. This count gathers 25 Google categories, from art and history museums to children’s, science and railway museums.
Dates. The IMLS figure describes 2014 and the Census 2023; this count, November 9, 2026.

Which state has the most museums?

California, with 2,154 listings, ahead of Texas (1,729). Per resident, Wyoming has the most: 3.0 per 10,000 residents, against 0.8 for the US.

Museums per 10,000 residents, by state

Google Maps listings counted November 9, 2026. US: 0.8 per 10,000 residents.

0.5–0.7
0.8–0.9
1.0
1.1–1.5
1.7–3.0

Each square is a state, placed roughly where it is on a map. Darker means more per resident.

US states ranked by museums per 10,000 residents, with the number of museums and its rank
#	State	Museums	Rank by number	Per 10,000 residents	vs US
1	Wyoming	178	45	3.0	+2.2
2	Vermont	181	44	2.8	+2.0
3	Maine	357	31	2.5	+1.7
4	Montana	231	40	2.0	+1.2
5	Alaska	148	46	2.0	+1.2
6	Iowa	639	14	2.0	+1.2
7	South Dakota	182	43	2.0	+1.2
8	District of Columbia	129	49	1.8	+1.0
9	North Dakota	143	47	1.8	+1.0
10	New Hampshire	237	38	1.7	+0.9
11	Kansas	496	23	1.7	+0.9
12	Nebraska	303	36	1.5	+0.7
13	New Mexico	315	35	1.5	+0.7
14	West Virginia	234	39	1.3	+0.5
15	Rhode Island	137	48	1.2	+0.4
16	Wisconsin	684	12	1.1	+0.3
17	Oklahoma	467	24	1.1	+0.3
18	Connecticut	417	28	1.1	+0.3
19	Massachusetts	795	10	1.1	+0.3
20	Arkansas	315	34	1.0	+0.2
21	Oregon	432	26	1.0	+0.2
22	Michigan	1,006	6	1.0	+0.2
23	Delaware	104	51	1.0	+0.2
24	Missouri	607	15	1.0	+0.2
25	Idaho	194	42	1.0	+0.2
26	Minnesota	556	18	1.0	+0.2
27	Virginia	838	9	1.0	+0.2
28	Mississippi	278	37	0.9	+0.1
29	Colorado	538	20	0.9	+0.1
30	Utah	316	33	0.9	+0.1
31	Hawaii	126	50	0.9	+0.1
32	Pennsylvania	1,114	4	0.9	+0.1
33	Ohio	1,000	7	0.8	0.0
34	Louisiana	385	29	0.8	0.0
35	New York	1,619	3	0.8	0.0
36	Alabama	420	27	0.8	0.0
37	Maryland	503	22	0.8	0.0
38	Tennessee	571	17	0.8	0.0
39	Illinois	989	8	0.8	0.0
40	Kentucky	347	32	0.8	0.0
41	Indiana	521	21	0.8	0.0
42	Washington	588	16	0.7	−0.1
43	North Carolina	758	11	0.7	−0.1
44	South Carolina	365	30	0.7	−0.1
45	Nevada	213	41	0.7	−0.1
46	Arizona	445	25	0.6	−0.2
47	Georgia	648	13	0.6	−0.2
48	New Jersey	547	19	0.6	−0.2
49	Texas	1,729	2	0.6	−0.2
50	California	2,154	1	0.5	−0.3
51	Florida	1,096	5	0.5	−0.3

Show all 51Show the first 10 only

US: 0.8 per 10,000 residents

In number, California (2,154), Texas (1,729) and New York (1,619) lead. Per resident, Wyoming has 6.5 times as many museums as Florida, the lowest.

Source: Primavera, snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026. 0 museums without a public address could not be placed in a state and are only in the US total.

How museums show up online

Museums in the United States, by kind of contact listed

Share of all 27,595 listings.

Website link70.8%

Phone number71.1%

Email address57.2%

Museums next to all US businesses: website builders, links, ad tags, ratings and chains
Measure	Museums	All US businesses
Websites read	16,270	12,846,647
Built with WordPress	46.2%	29.2%
Built with Wix	11.1%	7.1%
Built with Squarespace	9.4%	5.6%
Site links to Instagram	54.4%	35.1%
Site links to Facebook	75.7%	45.2%
Meta Pixel or other Meta script	11.8%	8.8%
Google Ads tag	5.5%	6.1%
Average Google rating	4.61	4.44
Rated under 4 stars	5.2%	17.4%
Median Google reviews	23	11
Part of a chain	0.1%	7.9%

Museums are well rated and run their own websites: 4.61 stars on average, against 4.44 for all US businesses, and 46.2% of museum websites are built with WordPress, against 29.2%.

Note: Builders, links and tags are shares of the websites Primavera could read (16,270 for museums), social pages and booking platforms excluded. The Meta figure is an upper bound: Meta’s like buttons and chat load the same script as its ad pixel. Sites made with GoDaddy, Weebly or Duda are counted under none of these builders. Ratings: listings with at least one review.

Which chains have the most museums?

Museums are not chains: 0.1% of museum listings belong to a network our rules recognize, a handful of attractions such as Ripley’s Believe It or Not! among them.

What these figures don’t say

Collections, visitors or budgets. A one-room local history museum and a national museum count once each.
Art galleries that sell work, and historic sites with no museum, which have categories of their own.
Whether a museum is open all year: many small museums open only in summer.
How many companies own these places. A company with several locations counts once per listing.

Questions

Which state has the most museums?

California, with 2,154 listings, ahead of Texas (1,729). Per resident, Wyoming has the most: 3.0 per 10,000 residents, against 0.8 for the US.

How many museums are in the US according to the government?

35,144, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2014, a list that includes historical societies and nature centers. The Census counted 5,480 museums with paid employees in 2023.

How many museums are there per person?

One for every 12,325 residents, or 0.8 per 10,000. Rural states lead per resident: Wyoming has 3.0 per 10,000.

Method and data

Snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026

What is counted

Open listings on Google Maps in the United States whose main Google category is one of the categories below, or whose main category is generic and another of its categories is: 27,595 listings, counted on October 29, 2026 and read on November 9, 2026. Service points (lockers, charging stations) are left out.

Open the search

The museums search from this page, ready to open in Primavera. Narrow it to a state or a city once it is open:

Target: Museums
Location: United States

27,595businessesPreview leads

Free, no account needed. Contact details stay hidden until you create a list. 300 free credits when you sign up.