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Librarians and Media Collections Specialist Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of librarians and media collections specialists are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of librarians and media collections specialists within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The librarians and media collections specialists annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Librarians and Media Collections Specialist Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$36,260
25th Percentile Wage
$48,300
50th Percentile Wage
$61,660
75th Percentile Wage
$78,090
90th Percentile Wage
$98,650

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for librarians and media collections specialists. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) librarians and media collections specialists is $98,650. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $61,660. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $36,260. Take note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 172% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of librarians and media collections specialists from 2012 to 2022. Note that there is no salary data for some years between 2012 and 2022.

YearMedian Salary Growth3-Year Growth
2022
$61,660
0.76% 3.50%
2021
$61,190
0.60% -
2020
$60,820
2.17% -
2019
$59,500
- -

Table 2. Librarians and Media Collections Specialist Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of librarians and media collections specialists in 14 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for librarians and media collections specialists occupations is the finance and insurance sector with an annual salary $94,120. The lowest paying sector is the retail trade sector (annual salary $41,620).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Finance and Insurance
$94,120
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$75,860
Manufacturing
$74,700
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$74,620
Health Care and Social Assistance
$64,670
Educational Services
$63,170
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$61,220
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$60,310
Transportation and Warehousing
$59,670
Federal, State, and Local Government
$59,180
Wholesale Trade
$58,710
Information
$57,480
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$48,930
Retail Trade
$41,620

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of Librarians and Media Collections Specialists by States (2022 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only librarians and media collections specialists salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of librarians and media collections specialists in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $35,580 to $94,930. The highest paying state for librarians and media collections specialists is Washington with a median annual salary of $94,930. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $35,580. For more salary information of librarians and media collections specialists profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Washington
$94,930
District of Columbia
$85,730
California
$78,820
Nevada
$77,910
Maryland
$76,830
Massachusetts
$75,750
New York
$74,240
New Jersey
$73,860
Connecticut
$73,570
Rhode Island
$70,970
Oregon
$68,000
Delaware
$67,190
Alaska
$66,580
Minnesota
$66,260
Virginia
$63,510
Georgia
$62,720
Texas
$62,540
Kentucky
$61,970
Colorado
$61,360
Guam
$61,120
Illinois
$60,860
Wisconsin
$60,780
New Hampshire
$60,610
South Carolina
$59,830
Alabama
$59,580
Hawaii
$58,910
Nebraska
$58,820
Kansas
$58,440
Montana
$58,420
North Carolina
$58,400
Louisiana
$58,020
Pennsylvania
$57,890
Florida
$57,350
Tennessee
$56,910
New Mexico
$56,300
Missouri
$55,840
Maine
$55,000
Vermont
$54,580
North Dakota
$53,630
Arkansas
$52,620
Michigan
$52,370
Virgin Islands
$52,240
Wyoming
$51,860
Arizona
$50,950
Oklahoma
$49,970
Iowa
$49,820
Mississippi
$47,650
Ohio
$47,300
Indiana
$47,110
Idaho
$44,440
Utah
$44,210
South Dakota
$42,650
West Virginia
$40,190
Puerto Rico
$35,580