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: TEA/ECA/TPDB. 2024 TEA Global Experience Index™.