2024 saw major growth across the museum industry with especially strong representation from the leading institutions in APAC, and China in particular. This was partially due to the TEA Global Experience Index broadening the definition of museums to include selected leading historic sites that have significant museum components.
Attendance at North American museums was strong in 2024, driven by post-pandemic stabilized attendance at major museums and growth at many of the leading institutions on our list. Museo Nacional de Antropología and Museo Soumaya, both in Mexico City, joined the list, bringing international diversity to the rankings, which previously had focused on the United States. The Field Museum returns to the list as well, adding a third museum from Chicago to the roster and solidifying “The Windy City” as the Midwestern hub for large museums in the U.S.
See how North American Museums fared in 2024 compared to previous years:
Top 20 Museums in North America |
Rank |
Museum, Location |
Change |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
2019 |
1 |
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, NY, USA |
6.8% |
5,727,000 |
5,364,000 |
3,209,000 |
6,770,000 |
2 |
American Museum of Natural History,
New York, NY, USA |
8.0% |
5,400,000 |
5,000,000 |
–– |
5,000,000 |
| 3 |
National Gallery of Art,
Washington DC, USA |
2.8% |
3,937,000 |
3,830,000 |
3,256,000 |
4,074,000 |
| 4 |
National Museum of Natural History,
Washington, DC, USA |
-11.4% |
3,900,000 |
4,400,000 |
3,900,000 |
4,200,000 |
| 5 |
Museo Nacional De Antropologia,
Mexico City, Mexico |
40.2% |
3,700,000 |
2,640,000 |
–– |
–– |
6 |
Museum of Modern Art,
New York, NY, USA |
-6.4% |
2,657,000 |
2,840,000 |
2,190,000 |
1,992,000 |
7 |
National 9/11 Museum,
New York NY, USA |
6.0% |
2,400,000 |
2,265,000 |
–– |
–– |
8 |
Museo Soumaya,
Mexico City, Mexico |
NA |
2,300,000 |
–– |
–– |
–– |
9 |
National Museum of American History,
Washington, DC, USA |
0.0% |
2,100,000 |
2,100,000 |
1,800,000 |
2,800,000 |
10 |
National Air and Space Museum,
Washington, DC, USA |
0.0% |
1,900,000 |
1,900,000 |
419,000 |
3,200,000 |
11 |
California Science Center,
Los Angeles, CA, USA |
0.0% |
1,700,000 |
1,700,000 |
1,694,000 |
2,200,000 |
| 12 |
National Museum of African American History and Culture,
Washington, DC, USA |
0.0% |
1,600,000 |
1,600,000 |
1,093,000 |
2,000,000 |
13 |
Houston Museum of Natural Science,
Houston, TX, USA |
-14.4% |
1,547,000 |
1,800,000 |
1,700,000 |
1,974,000 |
14 |
Smithsonian American Art Museum (with the Renwick Gallery),
Washington, DC, USA |
7.1% |
1,500,000 |
1,400,000 |
1,100,000 |
2,000,000 |
| 15 |
Griffin Museum of Science & Industry,
Chicago, IL, USA |
0.0% |
1,476,000 |
1,476,000 |
1,134,000 |
1,388,000 |
16 |
The Field Museum,
Chicago, IL, USA |
20.0% |
1,362,000 |
1,135,000 |
1,100,000 |
2,000,000 |
| 17 |
Denver Museum of Nature & Science,
Denver, CO, USA |
4.0% |
1,358,000 |
1,306,000 |
1,151,000 |
1,487,000 |
| 18 |
The Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, IL, USA |
0.2% |
1,324,000 |
1,322,000 |
1,037,000 |
1,666,000 |
| 19 |
Museum of Science,
Boston, MA, USA |
-5.5% |
1,323,000 |
1,400,000 |
1,123,000 |
1,458,000 |
| 20 |
The J. Paul Getty Museum,
Los Angeles, CA, USA |
1.3% |
1,268,000 |
1,251,000 |
909,000 |
1,439,000 |
TOP 20 TOTAL ATTENDANCE FROM 2024 AND 2023
(PUBLISHED PRIOR YEAR TOTAL) |
8.4% |
48,480,000 |
44,729,000 |
29,657,000 |
–– |
Source: 2024 TEA Global Experience Index™
TEA/ECA/TPDB
|
