Category: CompScores

Attendance isn’t the only metric that matters; market capture, admission price, and Google Rating are also Key Performance Indicators. These KPIs are connected. Our CompScore (a KPI index) identifies how a natural history museum performs in relation to 33 peer natural history museums in the 100 largest US markets. Congratulations to the natural history museums with Top 10 CompScores for 2024:

• American Museum of Natural History
• Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
• Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Field Museum of Natural History
• Perot Museum of Nature and Science
• The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History
• Witte Museum

Attendance isn’t the only metric that matters; market capture, admission price, and Google Rating are also Key Performance Indicators. These KPIs are connected. Our CompScore (a KPI index) identifies how a children’s museum performs in relation to 66 peer children’s museums in the 100 largest US markets. Congratulations to the children’s museums with Top 10 CompScores for 2024:

• Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
• The Strong National Museum of Play
• Omaha Children’s Museum
• Imagination Station
• Science City at Union Station
• EdVenture
• Louisiana Children’s Museum
• Marbles Kids Museum
• Mississippi Children’s Museum
• Creative Discovery Museum

Attendance isn’t the only metric that matters; market capture, admission price, and Google Rating are also Key Performance Indicators. These KPIs are connected. Our CompScore (a KPI index) identifies how an art museum performs in relation to 190 peer art museums in the 100 largest US markets. Congratulations to the art museums with Top 10 CompScores for 2024:

• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum of Modern Art
• National Gallery of Art
• Chihuly Garden and Glass
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
• The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
• Milwaukee Art Museum
• Seattle Art Museum
• Philadelphia Museum of Art

Congratulations to the Science Museums with the highest 2023 CompScores. 

• Greensboro Science Center (81)
• Exploratorium (71)
• Science Museum Oklahoma (70)
• COSI (69)
• Frost Science (68)
• Discovery Place Science (67)
• Exploration Place (65)
• Franklin Institute (65)
• Adventure Science Center (65)
• Museum of Discovery and Science Ft Lauderdale (63)
• Museum of Science Boston (63)

The CompScore identifies science museums that perform best among five key performance indicators including attendance, market capture, admission price, Google Rating, and visit frequency. 59 science museums in the 100 largest US markets are included in the analysis.  A perfect score is 100, the median among science museums was 53. 

CultureComp is pleased to announce the Top 10 Flight/Space/Ship/Auto Museums with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Kennedy Space Center
• Space Center Houston
• USS Midway Museum
• National Museum of the US Air Force
• Intrepid Sea, Air, Space Museum
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
• Battleship Missouri Memorial
• USS Yorktown
• Museum of Flight
• National Automobile Museum

The CompScore is an indexed score based on attendance, market capture, admission price, Google reviews, and visit frequency.

43 Flight/Space/Ship/Auto Museums were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.

CultureComp is pleased to announce the Top 10 Aquariums with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Georgia Aquarium
• Tennessee Aquarium
• National Aquarium
• California Academy of Sciences
• Shedd Aquarium
• Aquarium of the Pacific
• South Carolina Aquarium
• Oklahoma Aquarium
• Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
• Florida Aquarium

The CompScore is an indexed score based on attendance, market capture, admission price, Google reviews, and visit frequency.

32 Aquariums were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.

CultureComp is pleased to announce the Top 10 Children’s Museums with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
• Museum of Natural Curiosity Thanksgiving Point
• Strong National Museum of Play
• Science City at Union Station
• Mississippi Children’s Museum
• Louisiana Children’s Museum
• Marbles Kids Museum
• EdVenture
• Creative Discovery Museum
• Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum

The CompScore is an indexed score based on attendance, market capture, admission price, Google reviews, and visit frequency.

68 Children’s Museums were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.

CultureComp is pleased to announce the Top 10 Botanical Gardens with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
• Denver Botanic Gardens
• New York Botanical Garden
• Huntington Library
• Atlanta Botanical Garden
• Gardens of Golden Gate Park
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art
• Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
• Missouri Botanical Garden

The CompScore is an indexed score based on attendance, market capture, admission price, Google reviews, and visit frequency.

83 Botanical Gardens were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.

(estimated attendance of 100,000 or less)

Congratulations to the Top 10 Small Museums with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Nevada Museum of Art
• Iolani Palace
• Genesee Country Village & Museum
• Springfield Science Museum
• Ghost Town Museum
• Buffalo AKG Art Museum
• American Civil War Museum
• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
• Mardi Gras World
• Stax Museum of American Soul Music

175 Museums were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.

CultureComp is pleased to announce the Top 10 Modern or Contemporary Art Museums with the highest 2023 CompScores.

• Museum of Modern Art
• Chihuly Garden and Glass
• Otherworld
• SFMOMA
• Salvador Dali Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
• Andy Warhol Museum
• Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
• Perez Art Museum Miami
• Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans

The CompScore is an indexed score based on attendance, market capture, admission price, Google reviews, and visit frequency.

43 Modern or Contemporary Art Museums were included as part of our on-going analysis of more than 11 million visitors to 806 cultural attractions in the 100 largest U.S. markets.