Archivists
Median $64,550
Occupation · SOC 25-4022
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists: pay and where the jobs are
What librarians and media collections specialists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$68,270 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $72,840
- Median hourly wage
- $32.82
- Mean hourly wage
- $35.02
- Employment
- 133,790
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4022.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among librarians and media collections specialists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do librarians and media collections specialists make?
The median annual wage for librarians and media collections specialists was $68,270 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $43,660 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,990. As an hourly rate, the median is $32.82. About 133,790 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($100,030), District of Columbia ($96,550) and California ($89,790). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for librarians and media collections specialists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,660 | $20.99 | $3,638 | $3,105 |
| 25th percentile | $56,310 | $27.07 | $4,693 | $3,952 |
| Median | $68,270 | $32.82 | $5,689 | $4,738 |
| 75th percentile | $84,480 | $40.62 | $7,040 | $5,688 |
| 90th percentile | $103,990 | $50.00 | $8,666 | $6,832 |
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$72,714 take-home in national prices
2
$68,318 take-home in national prices
3
$65,072 take-home in national prices
Where a median librarians and media collections specialist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,750 | $100,030 | $64,440 | $129,690 | $77,814 | $72,714 |
| District of Columbia | 960 | $96,550 | $63,540 | $126,660 | $71,515 | $65,072 |
| California | 10,180 | $89,790 | $50,750 | $132,870 | $66,725 | $60,264 |
| Maryland | 3,220 | $88,570 | $57,380 | $123,910 | $67,298 | $64,118 |
| Nevada | 610 | $84,540 | $56,310 | $102,940 | $68,304 | $68,318 |
| Connecticut | 2,550 | $79,210 | $50,340 | $116,720 | $60,552 | $58,442 |
| Alaska | 350 | $78,810 | $48,760 | $98,530 | $64,002 | $62,527 |
| New York | 11,870 | $78,590 | $52,340 | $129,970 | $60,100 | $55,689 |
| Massachusetts | 4,980 | $78,540 | $50,260 | $109,060 | $60,015 | $56,748 |
| New Jersey | 4,100 | $78,380 | $56,320 | $107,050 | $60,648 | $55,740 |
| Oregon | 1,690 | $78,070 | $43,740 | $116,250 | $58,020 | $56,133 |
| Delaware | 370 | $77,700 | $56,940 | $102,160 | $59,394 | $59,508 |
| Minnesota | 2,220 | $77,650 | $48,040 | $99,990 | $59,358 | $60,188 |
| Virginia | 4,590 | $77,430 | $48,510 | $107,600 | $59,664 | $59,012 |
| Georgia | 3,330 | $76,750 | $48,500 | $101,730 | $59,742 | $62,042 |
| Colorado | 1,990 | $76,480 | $51,200 | $101,280 | $59,640 | $57,874 |
| Rhode Island | 780 | $75,860 | $50,040 | $100,990 | $59,135 | $57,817 |
| Texas | 9,150 | $71,860 | $49,240 | $100,790 | $59,384 | $61,184 |
| Hawaii | 300 | $68,270 | $51,280 | $97,760 | $53,132 | $48,323 |
| Florida | 6,670 | $67,060 | $49,320 | $92,240 | $56,007 | $54,158 |
| Wisconsin | 2,450 | $66,870 | $46,350 | $85,970 | $53,412 | $56,764 |
| Kentucky | 1,980 | $65,200 | $45,950 | $85,190 | $52,404 | $58,124 |
| Alabama | 2,750 | $64,650 | $37,890 | $78,310 | $51,413 | $57,882 |
| Nebraska | 1,200 | $64,060 | $33,820 | $92,860 | $51,617 | $57,287 |
| Montana | 640 | $63,870 | $40,750 | $84,440 | $51,252 | $54,152 |
| New Hampshire | 1,150 | $63,580 | $40,560 | $94,300 | $53,267 | $51,137 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,050 | $62,880 | $37,240 | $98,490 | $50,730 | $51,992 |
| North Dakota | 570 | $62,830 | $36,400 | $98,000 | $52,664 | $59,200 |
| Illinois | 5,390 | $62,700 | $38,650 | $103,540 | $49,601 | $49,621 |
| South Carolina | 2,130 | $62,640 | $36,490 | $92,890 | $50,674 | $54,052 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $62,530 | $41,600 | $97,490 | $50,650 | $54,927 |
| Vermont | 600 | $62,360 | $36,390 | $86,070 | $50,631 | $51,686 |
| Tennessee | 2,540 | $62,090 | $36,860 | $80,140 | $52,069 | $56,677 |
| Kansas | 1,620 | $61,900 | $34,780 | $80,570 | $49,262 | $54,695 |
| North Carolina | 4,010 | $61,420 | $44,600 | $83,650 | $49,589 | $52,572 |
| Louisiana | 2,130 | $60,650 | $46,800 | $78,240 | $49,479 | $56,094 |
| Ohio | 4,820 | $60,630 | $39,710 | $92,900 | $49,672 | $53,541 |
| Arizona | 1,990 | $60,500 | $35,730 | $96,490 | $49,673 | $49,339 |
| Michigan | 3,940 | $60,010 | $39,450 | $89,750 | $48,098 | $49,989 |
| Maine | 780 | $59,540 | $36,580 | $83,640 | $47,382 | $48,822 |
| Missouri | 2,970 | $58,700 | $34,510 | $86,850 | $47,524 | $52,329 |
| Iowa | 1,770 | $58,440 | $31,620 | $86,600 | $47,568 | $54,201 |
| Oklahoma | 1,820 | $58,180 | $32,350 | $82,650 | $46,855 | $53,340 |
| Mississippi | 1,060 | $56,970 | $29,340 | $68,970 | $46,409 | $53,372 |
| Arkansas | 1,490 | $56,800 | $31,640 | $73,210 | $46,205 | $53,147 |
| Idaho | 650 | $54,130 | $35,940 | $90,950 | $43,913 | $45,985 |
| Utah | 1,630 | $53,730 | $35,810 | $99,890 | $43,465 | $43,965 |
| Indiana | 1,920 | $53,500 | $32,520 | $79,300 | $43,619 | $46,736 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,310 | $51,610 | $29,690 | $74,190 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 490 | $51,210 | $37,760 | $77,500 | $43,327 | $48,910 |
| Wyoming | 440 | $46,530 | $27,990 | $74,290 | $39,567 | $42,687 |
| West Virginia | 610 | $42,980 | $29,910 | $63,130 | $35,567 | $39,741 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4022. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.