Data Cuts, Broader Population Comparison, & Current Participants
When you sign up for the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, you receive data on your museum and how it compares to the field at-large.
Data Cuts
More museums participating = greater comparative data & deeper insights
When you participate in the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, you receive detailed insights about your museum—who your visitors are, what they value, and how their experiences compare to those at museums nationwide.
But your data doesn’t stop there.
When at least five museums of the same type, budget size, governance, and/or geographic area (city, state, and region) take part, you’ll also receive a data cut—a specialized comparison showing how your museum stacks up against a focused peer group.
These comparative data cuts are provided for free as part of your enrollment in the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers.
The more museums that participate, the more comparative data we can provide—and the more meaningful the insights become for the entire field.
Data cuts will be updated as museums enroll for 2027. See what data cuts we offered in 2026 below!
By Museum Type
In 2026, we are providing data cuts for:
African American Museums
Anthropology
Botanic Gardens/Arboreta
Children’s/Youth Museums
General Museums
Multi-Disciplinary Museums
Museums with significant Indigenous Belongings
Natural History Museums
Nature Centers/Preserves
Planetariums
Religious (Art or History) Museums
Science/Technology Centers
Social Justice Museums
Zoological Parks or Aquaria
Art Museums, including by:
Contemporary Art Museums
Decorative Arts
Design Museums
Encyclopedic Art Museums
Regional Art Museums
University/College Art Museums
History-related museums, including by:
City History Museums
Estates or Mansions
Historic Houses
Historic Sites
Industrial History
Local History/Historical Societies
Maritime History
Military History
Outdoor History Museums
Revolutionary War/Founding of the US
State History Museums
By Governance:
Academic
Municipal (city/county)
State (state/province)
By Location
In 2026, we are providing data cuts for:
By State:
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Washington, DC
By City/Metro Area:
Albany
Boston metro area
Denver
Philadelphia metro area
Southern California
By Budget
In 2026, we are providing data cuts for:
$400,000 – $1 million, with additional cuts by:
Art Museums/Centers
Historic Houses
Historic Sites
History Museums
Local Historical Societies
$1.1 million – $5 million, with additional cuts by:
Art Museums/Centers
Children’s/Youth Museums
City History Museums/Centers
Contemporary Art Museums
Estates or Mansions
Historic Houses
Historic Sites
History Museums
Natural History Museums
Regional Art Museums
Science/Technology Centers
State History Museums
University/College Art Museums
$5.1 million – $10 million, with additional cuts by:
Art Museums/Centers
Children’s/Youth Museums
Contemporary Art Museums
Historic Houses
History Museums
Natural History Museums
Regional Art Museums
Science/Technology Centers
Greater than $10 million, with additional cuts by:
Anthropology Museums
Art Museums/Centers
Children’s/Youth Museums
City History Museums
Contemporary Art Museums
Encyclopedic Art Museums
Estates or Mansions
Historic Houses
History Museums
Natural History Museums
Regional Art Museums
Science/Technology Centers
State History Museums
Broader Population Comparison
Broader population sampling collects data from casual visitors and non-visitors in your city or state. When you think of your museum and your local population, there are three main groups of people:
Frequent visitors
Potential Annual Survey of Museum-Goers respondents; typically your repeat visitors and/or members.
Casual visitors
Potential broader population sampling respondent; someone who may visit once a year, or every couple of years.
Non-visitors
Potential broader population sampling respondent; someone who has never visited or hasn’t visited in many years.
By adding on Broader Population Sampling in your area, you can create a more complete picture of who does and doesn’t engage with your museum, as well as their values, attitudes, and behaviors. This can then help you develop a more informed audience engagement strategy to broaden audiences.
2026 Participants
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Albany Institute of History & Art
Alf Engen Ski Museum
Allen County Museum
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Anchorage Museum
Armstrong Air & Space Museum (Ohio History Connection)
Art Complex Museum
Bishop Museum
Blanton Museum of Art
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Boston Children’s Museum
Brandywine Museum of Art
Buffalo Museum of Science
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Canadian Museum of Nature
Chandler Museum
Charlotte Museum of History
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chicago Architecture Center
Children’s Museum Houston
Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Children’s Museum of Phoenix
Chrysler Museum of Art
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Colorado Railroad Museum
Columbus Museum of Art
Conner Prairie
Crystal Bridges
Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
CuriOdyssey
Denver Art Museum
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Des Moines Art Center
Descanso Gardens Foundation
Detroit Historical Society
Detroit Institute of Arts
Discovery Museum
Discovery Place Science
Edith Farnsworth House Historic Site
El Paso Museum of Art
Exploration Place
Farmington Museums
Fernbank Museum
Field Museum
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum
Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
Genesee Country Village and Museum
George Eastman Museum
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Glencairn Museum
Glensheen Mansion
Grand Rapids Art Museum
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
High Desert Museum
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden
Historic Cherry Hill
Historical Society of Cheshire County
Honolulu Museum of Art
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (Ohio History Connection)
ICA Boston
Idaho State Museum
Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
International Spy Museum
Japanese American National Museum
Jewish Museum of Maryland
John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Art Preserve
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Kentucky Historical Society
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Levine Museum of the New South
Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum
Litchfield Historical Society
Littleton Museum
Longmont Museum
Maryland Center for History and Culture
Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center
McLean County Museum of History
Mead Art Museum
Meadows Museum
Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle
Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
Mines Museum of Earth Science
Mingei International Museum
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minnesota Historical Society
Mississippi Museum of Art
Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Innovation and Science
Museum of Northern Arizona
Museum of the American Revolution
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Museums at Union Station
Mystic Seaport Museum
NASCAR Hall of Fame
National Air and Space Museum
National Museum of Mexican Art
National Nordic Museum
National Susan B Anthony Museum & House
Nebraska State Historical Society
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
New York State Museum
Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center
North Carolina Museum of Art
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
Norton Museum of Art
Ohio History Center (Ohio History Connection)
Old Dartmouth Historical Society d/b/a New Bedford Whaling Museum
Omaha Children’s Museum
Oregon Historical Society
Ottawa Museum Network
Peabody Essex Museum
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Phipps Conservatory
Phoenix Art Museum
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
Revolutionary Spaces
Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC)
Ruth Mott Foundation/Applewood Estate
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
Saint Louis Art Museum
San Bernardino County Museum
San Diego History Center
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Science Museum Oklahoma
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Children’s Museum
Serpent Mound (Ohio History Connection)
Shelburne Museum
SHU Discovery Science Center & Planetarium (Sacred Heart University)
Sioux City Public Museum
Skirball Cultural Center
Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
South Carolina State Museum
Space Center Houston
Springfield Museum of Art
Stanley Museum of Art
Swope Art Museum
The American Museum of Western Art, The Anschutz Collection
The Children’s Museum at Saratoga
The Clark Art Institute
The Contemporary Austin
The Florida Aquarium
The Franklin Institute
The Frick Pittsburgh
The Gamble House Conservancy
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
The Museum of Russian Art
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
The Strong National Museum of Play
The Tech Interactive
The Valentine
The Witte Museum
The Wolfsonian–FIU
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Underground Railroad Education Center (Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc.)
USS SLATER (Destroyer Escort Historical Museum)
Utica Zoo
Utility Exploration Center
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Washington State Historical Society
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
Westmoreland Historical Society and Historic Hanna’s Town
Whatcom Museum
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Worcester Art Museum
Participant stories
Browse the stories of those who have participated in the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and learn how they applied the data in practice.
Data Stories
Check out the data stories from previous years’ surveys covering themes from masking in museums to how to spark curiosity among visitors.
Ready to sign up?
Complete the form to sign up or get in touch with Wilkening Consulting for more information.