Not even museum tickets are safe from inflation. Around the country, many museums have increased their cost of entry.
These exhibits of art, culture, history, and knowledge operate using a combination of external funding and self-generated revenue. Most museums receive their financing from public or private contributions, ticket sales, and earned income. Earned income comes from things like gift shop sales, licensing, and educational programs.
According to Sotheby’s Institute of Art, museum funding from ticket sales is usually small compared with other sources but is still an important factor. Many museums are free thanks to government and private contributions. However, not all are able to fully support themselves with external funding and must also rely on ticket sales.
Museums can be very costly to operate – they often need advanced security systems, climate-controlled storage, and a range of specialized staff. These costs rise with inflation and push up the cost of keeping a museum operational. Museums can also lose funding for one reason or another and need to fill this void with more expensive tickets.
For years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York allowed visitors to pay whatever they wanted for entry, recommending a certain price. In 2018, however, the museum stated that far fewer patrons were paying the recommended price and decided to start charging specific rates for out-of-state residents. (The Met is also one of the most popular Instagram attractions in the world.)
Other museums, like the Crocker Art Museum in California, have raised prices to deal with rising costs while also striving to keep their exhibits accessible. They offer special days for “pay what you wish” and other discounts. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth increased its prices significantly but offers half-price tickets on Sundays and free admission on Fridays. For other attractions that are always free check out America’s most visited city parks.
To identify the 25 art museums where ticket prices have risen the most, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on price inflation at major U.S. attractions provided by coupon distribution platform and website DealA. The site explains it used Joy of Museums to compile a list of 40 museums and used the Wayback Machine to find single adult general admission ticket prices for these museums in 2017 and compared to prices as of 12/23/2021.
Click here to see 25 museums where ticket prices have risen the most
Source: corfoto / iStock via Getty Images
26. Greenfield Village
> State: Michigan
> 2017 ticket price: $27.00
> Current ticket price: $28.00
> Percent increase: 3.7%
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Source: tzahiV / iStock via Getty Images
25. National September 11 Memorial & Museum
> State: New York
> 2017 ticket price: $24.00
> Current ticket price: $26.00
> Percent increase: 8.3%
Source: csfotoimages / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
24. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
> State: Arizona
> 2017 ticket price: $21.95
> Current ticket price: $23.95
> Percent increase: 9.1%
23. New-York Historical Society
> State: New York
> 2017 ticket price: $20.00
> Current ticket price: $22.00
> Percent increase: 10.0%
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Source: Kirkikis / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
22. Norman Rockwell Museum
> State: Massachusetts
> 2017 ticket price: $18.00
> Current ticket price: $20.00
> Percent increase: 11.1%
Source: f11photo / iStock via Getty Images
21. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
> State: Texas
> 2017 ticket price: $16.00
> Current ticket price: $18.00
> Percent increase: 12.5%
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Source: Courtesy of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
20. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
> State: Indiana
> 2017 ticket price: $23.50
> Current ticket price: $26.50
> Percent increase: 12.8%
Source: csfotoimages / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
19. The National WWII Museum
> State: Louisiana
> 2017 ticket price: $26.00
> Current ticket price: $29.50
> Percent increase: 13.5%
Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
18. Kennedy Space Center
> State: Florida
> 2017 ticket price: $50.00
> Current ticket price: $57.00
> Percent increase: 14.0%
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Source: Thomas Kelley / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
17. Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
> State: Kentucky
> 2017 ticket price: $14.00
> Current ticket price: $16.00
> Percent increase: 14.3%
Source: P_Wei / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
16. GRAMMY Museum
> State: California
> 2017 ticket price: $12.95
> Current ticket price: $15.00
> Percent increase: 15.8%
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Source: jimfeng / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
14. Penn Museum
> State: Philadelphia
> 2017 ticket price: $15.00
> Current ticket price: $18.00
> Percent increase: 20.0%
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Source: Heather Shimmin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
14. Denver Botanic Gardens
> State: Colorado
> 2017 ticket price: $12.50
> Current ticket price: $15.00
> Percent increase: 20.0%
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
13. Salvador Dali Museum
> State: Florida
> 2017 ticket price: $24.00
> Current ticket price: $29.00
> Percent increase: 20.8%
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Source: Terryfic3D / iStock via Getty Images
12. Eastern State Penitentiary
> State: Philadelphia
> 2017 ticket price: $14.00
> Current ticket price: $17.00
> Percent increase: 21.4%
11. San Diego Model Railroad Museum
> State: California
> 2017 ticket price: $11.00
> Current ticket price: $13.50
> Percent increase: 22.7%
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Source: g01xm / iStock via Getty Images
8. Philadelphia Museum of Art
> State: Pennsylvania
> 2017 ticket price: $20.00
> Current ticket price: $25.00
> Percent increase: 25.0%
8. Neue Galerie New York
> State: New York
> 2017 ticket price: $20.00
> Current ticket price: $25.00
> Percent increase: 25.0%
Source: Angel Di Bilio / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
8. Norton Simon Museum
> State: California
> 2017 ticket price: $12.00
> Current ticket price: $15.00
> Percent increase: 25.0%
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7. Museum of Fine Art
> State: Texas
> 2017 ticket price: $15.00
> Current ticket price: $19.00
> Percent increase: 26.7%
Source: GingerE99 / iStock via Getty Images
6. USS Midway
> State: California
> 2017 ticket price: $20.00
> Current ticket price: $26.00
> Percent increase: 30.0%
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Source: Brian Logan / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
4. Chihuly Garden and Glass
> State: Washington
> 2017 ticket price: $24.00
> Current ticket price: $32.00
> Percent increase: 33.3%
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
4. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
> State: Massachusetts
> 2017 ticket price: $15.00
> Current ticket price: $20.00
> Percent increase: 33.3%
Source: gnagel / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
3. Crocker Art Museum
> State: California
> 2017 ticket price: $10.00
> Current ticket price: $15.00
> Percent increase: 50.0%
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Source: typhoonski / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
2. Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
> State: Texas
> 2017 ticket price: $10.00
> Current ticket price: $16.00
> Percent increase: 60.0%
Source: diegograndi / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
> State: New York
> 2017 ticket price: $0.00
> Current ticket price: $25.00
> Percent increase: Undefined
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