I'm not sure anyone has really suggested that AAM or some other
organization set a national salary "standard" in the sense of a useless
mandate in the museum field.  But benchmarks are not mandates, they are a
fact-based reflection of what the market is paying and that is all.
Legislators, state personnel offices, private trustees, donors, and
administrators can use this information or ignore it.

In Virginia, at least, the State salary rate for a graduate degreed
collections curator starts in the mid-30s plus excellent fringe benefits.
(In fact, the graduate degree isn't actually mandated if one has the
equivalent in terms of relevant experience).  The last I knew, an
entry-level file clerk/typist in any Virginia state agency earns $15K plus
excellent benefits.

Benchmarks would be of interest to those in the Dakotas and NYC who talk of
$15K and $23K as being acceptable.