What Is The Most-Visited Museum In The US?

It's a common stereotype that America lacks culture, but the number of museums sprinkled across the country proves that couldn't be further from the truth. According to a report by UNESCO (via Guinness World Records), the U.S. houses significantly more museums than any other country in the world. From sea to shining sea, the country is home to over 33,000 museums — roughly one-third of the world's 104,000 museums. (Germany is second and doesn't even come close, with just under 6,800 museums.) U.S. museums draw millions of visitors per year, but only one cultural institution can lay claim to being the most visited. New York City is a globally celebrated cultural epicenter that boasts more than 170 museums, making it little surprise that the city's vaunted Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most-visited museum in the U.S.

Official 2025 numbers released by The Met, as the museum is fondly called, reveal that 5.7 million people reveled in the 5,000 years of art on display between its two campuses, The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. According to The Art Newspaper, this impressive figure also catapults The Met to being the fourth most-visited museum in the world behind London's British Museum, The Vatican Museums in Vatican City, and Paris' Musée du Louvre, which topped the list with nearly 9 million annual visitors.

Whether inspired by The Met's outstanding permanent collection, exhibitions, and events, or delighting in one of New York City's best rainy day activities, local residents drove museum attendance, with 62% of attendees residing in either New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut. All in all, attendance is up nearly 110% from pre-COVID days. While these hefty numbers are terrific news for The Met, you can see incredible art and avoid crowds at these other New York City museums.

With over 2 million square feet to cover, visiting The Met takes planning, patience, and time. First, determine the least crowded time to visit. The Met is open every day except Wednesday. Consider that weekday mornings are generally the least crowded, while weekend afternoons are the busiest. Visiting the "Events" section of The Met website is helpful for pinning down other high-traffic times. For example, during Friday and Saturday evenings, the museum hosts "Date Night at The Met," when live music, activities, and two-for-one drinks pack in crowds. The holidays are an especially vibrant time in New York City when The Met is also filled with peak crowds. 

It's well worth planning your itinerary in advance. While it's a joy to endlessly roam the museum's treasures, you don't want to risk missing essential highlights like the 10 B.C. "Temple of Dendur" or the show-stopping African textile "Between Earth and Heaven." Before your trip, list the highlights you'd like to see along with their locations inside the museum. This should help you move smoothly and efficiently through the galleries without getting swallowed up or delayed by crowds. If mapping out art walks isn't your thing, join The Met's free daily "Museum Highlights" tour to have a museum docent lead you expertly through the crowds.

Showing up early and purchasing tickets online in advance can also help beat crowds. While New York residents enjoy donation-based ticket prices, general admission is $30 for adults, $22 for seniors, $17 for students, and free for visitors 12 and under (as of this writing). Nearly 6 million visitors leave no doubt that The Met is worth the splurge, but there's also a trove of amazing artwork to discover at these free-to-visit New York museums.