Librarians and Media Collections Specialists pay in the U.S.
$72,840avg. a year
$35.02 an hour · 133,790 employed
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in the U.S. earn an average of $72,840 a year and a median of $68,270. Pay is highest in Washington ($98,530) and lowest in West Virginia ($46,340).
$68,270Median pay
$35.02Average hourly
+15%Avg. pay since 2020
133,790Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for librarians and media collections specialists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,750 jobs
Washington
$98,530
$47.37 an hour
2960 jobs
District of Columbia
$96,550
$46.42 an hour
310,180 jobs
California
$92,300
$44.38 an hour
43,220 jobs
Maryland
$89,530
$43.04 an hour
511,870 jobs
New York
$84,890
$40.81 an hour
62,550 jobs
Connecticut
$82,290
$39.56 an hour
74,100 jobs
New Jersey
$82,240
$39.54 an hour
8610 jobs
Nevada
$81,580
$39.22 an hour
9370 jobs
Delaware
$80,970
$38.93 an hour
104,980 jobs
Massachusetts
$80,220
$38.57 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $62k$62k–$66k$66k–$77k$77k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $105,400 | $50.67 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $103,650 | $49.83 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $101,170 | $48.64 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $100,200 | $48.17 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $99,340 | $47.76 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $95,150 | $45.75 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $94,680 | $45.52 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $94,460 | $45.41 |
Related jobs
- Library Technicians$45,500
- Museum Technicians and Conservators$57,410
- Curators$71,560
- Archivists$70,640
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$38,290
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$72,650
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,100 | $64,650 | 2,750 |
| Alaska | $76,430 | $78,810 | 350 |
| Arizona | $61,670 | $60,500 | 1,990 |
| Arkansas | $54,130 | $56,800 | 1,490 |
| California | $92,300 | $89,790 | 10,180 |
| Colorado | $75,070 | $76,480 | 1,990 |
| Connecticut | $82,290 | $79,210 | 2,550 |
| Delaware | $80,970 | $77,700 | 370 |
| District of Columbia | $96,550 | $96,550 | 960 |
| Florida | $68,540 | $67,060 | 6,670 |
| Georgia | $75,300 | $76,750 | 3,330 |
| Hawaii | $72,460 | $68,270 | 300 |
| Idaho | $57,950 | $54,130 | 650 |
| Illinois | $69,420 | $62,700 | 5,390 |
| Indiana | $55,660 | $53,500 | 1,920 |
| Iowa | $58,520 | $58,440 | 1,770 |
| Kansas | $61,760 | $61,900 | 1,620 |
| Kentucky | $65,970 | $65,200 | 1,980 |
| Louisiana | $61,410 | $60,650 | 2,130 |
| Maine | $60,770 | $59,540 | 780 |
| Maryland | $89,530 | $88,570 | 3,220 |
| Massachusetts | $80,220 | $78,540 | 4,980 |
| Michigan | $63,020 | $60,010 | 3,940 |
| Minnesota | $75,800 | $77,650 | 2,220 |
| Mississippi | $54,220 | $56,970 | 1,060 |
| Missouri | $59,470 | $58,700 | 2,970 |
| Montana | $64,940 | $63,870 | 640 |
| Nebraska | $63,200 | $64,060 | 1,200 |
| Nevada | $81,580 | $84,540 | 610 |
| New Hampshire | $67,000 | $63,580 | 1,150 |
| New Jersey | $82,240 | $78,380 | 4,100 |
| New Mexico | $65,900 | $62,530 | 580 |
| New York | $84,890 | $78,590 | 11,870 |
| North Carolina | $64,140 | $61,420 | 4,010 |
| North Dakota | $64,550 | $62,830 | 570 |
| Ohio | $63,350 | $60,630 | 4,820 |
| Oklahoma | $57,740 | $58,180 | 1,820 |
| Oregon | $78,580 | $78,070 | 1,690 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,530 | $62,880 | 5,050 |
| Rhode Island | $76,960 | $75,860 | 780 |
| South Carolina | $64,320 | $62,640 | 2,130 |
| South Dakota | $53,840 | $51,210 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $61,560 | $62,090 | 2,540 |
| Texas | $72,400 | $71,860 | 9,150 |
| Utah | $61,500 | $53,730 | 1,630 |
| Vermont | $63,660 | $62,360 | 600 |
| Virginia | $77,240 | $77,430 | 4,590 |
| Washington | $98,530 | $100,030 | 2,750 |
| West Virginia | $46,340 | $42,980 | 610 |
| Wisconsin | $68,360 | $66,870 | 2,450 |
| Wyoming | $49,500 | $46,530 | 440 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$89,870
10,690 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$75,090
3,740 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$81,970
3,660 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$94,460
3,630 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$94,680
3,270 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$75,590
2,550 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$77,230
2,430 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$101,170
1,940 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do librarians and media collections specialists make?
The average is $72,840 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $68,270 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $35.02, and the median is $32.82 an hour.
Which state pays librarians and media collections specialists the most?
Washington, with an average of $98,530 a year. The best-paying metro area is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $105,400.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $43,660 a year, and the top 10% earn over $103,990.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 25-4022. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.