SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing. Work in a variety of settings, such as educational institutions, museums, and corporations, and with various types of informational materials, such as books, periodicals, recordings, films, and databases. Tasks may include acquiring, cataloging, and circulating library materials, and user services such as locating and organizing information, providing instruction on how to access information, and setting up and operating a library’s media equipment.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-4022.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $43,660 | $3,638 | $840 | $20.99 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $56,310 | $4,692 | $1,083 | $27.07 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $68,270 | $5,689 | $1,313 | $32.82 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $84,480 | $7,040 | $1,625 | $40.62 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $103,990 | $8,666 | $2,000 | $50.00 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is $68,270, which is 34% higher. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 41 by median pay. With 133,790 jobs, it makes up about 8.6 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists pay by state
The highest median pay was in Washington ($100,030), District of Columbia ($96,550) and California ($89,790). The lowest was in West Virginia ($42,980), Wyoming ($46,530) and South Dakota ($51,210). The most jobs were in New York (11,870), California (10,180) and Texas (9,150). The occupation is most concentrated in Vermont, where its share of all jobs is 2.3 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,750 | $100,030 | $98,530 | $48.09 |
| District of Columbia | 960 | $96,550 | $96,550 | $46.42 |
| California | 10,180 | $89,790 | $92,300 | $43.17 |
| Maryland | 3,220 | $88,570 | $89,530 | $42.58 |
| Nevada | 610 | $84,540 | $81,580 | $40.64 |
| Connecticut | 2,550 | $79,210 | $82,290 | $38.08 |
| Alaska | 350 | $78,810 | $76,430 | $37.89 |
| New York | 11,870 | $78,590 | $84,890 | $37.79 |
| Massachusetts | 4,980 | $78,540 | $80,220 | $37.76 |
| New Jersey | 4,100 | $78,380 | $82,240 | $37.69 |
| Oregon | 1,690 | $78,070 | $78,580 | $37.53 |
| Delaware | 370 | $77,700 | $80,970 | $37.35 |
| Minnesota | 2,220 | $77,650 | $75,800 | $37.33 |
| Virginia | 4,590 | $77,430 | $77,240 | $37.23 |
| Georgia | 3,330 | $76,750 | $75,300 | $36.90 |
| Colorado | 1,990 | $76,480 | $75,070 | $36.77 |
| Rhode Island | 780 | $75,860 | $76,960 | $36.47 |
| Texas | 9,150 | $71,860 | $72,400 | $34.55 |
| Hawaii | 300 | $68,270 | $72,460 | $32.82 |
| Florida | 6,670 | $67,060 | $68,540 | $32.24 |
| Wisconsin | 2,450 | $66,870 | $68,360 | $32.15 |
| Kentucky | 1,980 | $65,200 | $65,970 | $31.35 |
| Alabama | 2,750 | $64,650 | $63,100 | $31.08 |
| Nebraska | 1,200 | $64,060 | $63,200 | $30.80 |
| Montana | 640 | $63,870 | $64,940 | $30.71 |
| New Hampshire | 1,150 | $63,580 | $67,000 | $30.57 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,050 | $62,880 | $66,530 | $30.23 |
| North Dakota | 570 | $62,830 | $64,550 | $30.21 |
| Illinois | 5,390 | $62,700 | $69,420 | $30.14 |
| South Carolina | 2,130 | $62,640 | $64,320 | $30.12 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $62,530 | $65,900 | $30.06 |
| Vermont | 600 | $62,360 | $63,660 | $29.98 |
| Tennessee | 2,540 | $62,090 | $61,560 | $29.85 |
| Kansas | 1,620 | $61,900 | $61,760 | $29.76 |
| North Carolina | 4,010 | $61,420 | $64,140 | $29.53 |
| Louisiana | 2,130 | $60,650 | $61,410 | $29.16 |
| Ohio | 4,820 | $60,630 | $63,350 | $29.15 |
| Arizona | 1,990 | $60,500 | $61,670 | $29.09 |
| Michigan | 3,940 | $60,010 | $63,020 | $28.85 |
| Maine | 780 | $59,540 | $60,770 | $28.62 |
| Missouri | 2,970 | $58,700 | $59,470 | $28.22 |
| Iowa | 1,770 | $58,440 | $58,520 | $28.09 |
| Oklahoma | 1,820 | $58,180 | $57,740 | $27.97 |
| Mississippi | 1,060 | $56,970 | $54,220 | $27.39 |
| Arkansas | 1,490 | $56,800 | $54,130 | $27.31 |
| Idaho | 650 | $54,130 | $57,950 | $26.03 |
| Utah | 1,630 | $53,730 | $61,500 | $25.83 |
| Indiana | 1,920 | $53,500 | $55,660 | $25.72 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,310 | $51,610 | $51,260 | $24.81 |
| South Dakota | 490 | $51,210 | $53,840 | $24.62 |
| Wyoming | 440 | $46,530 | $49,500 | $22.37 |
| West Virginia | 610 | $42,980 | $46,340 | $20.66 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$74,260 a year
- Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other$72,990 a year
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 a year
- Special Education Teachers, Middle School$66,810 a year
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$66,270 a year
- Teachers and Instructors, All Other$66,140 a year
Common questions
How much do Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $68,270 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $43,660 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,990.
How many people work as Librarians and Media Collections Specialists?
About 133,790 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.