Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
25-4022 Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
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.
National estimates for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
Industry profile for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
Geographic profile for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
National estimates for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 133,760 |
0.7 % |
$ 32.97 |
$ 68,570 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.60 |
$ 24.49 |
$ 30.95 |
$ 38.94 |
$ 49.03 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 38,690 |
$ 50,930 |
$ 64,370 |
$ 80,980 |
$ 101,970 |
Industry profile for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
49,030 |
0.57 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,800 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
45,520 |
0.83 |
$ 29.98 |
$ 62,360 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
18,720 |
0.61 |
$ 35.53 |
$ 73,890 |
| Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services |
6,900 |
3.75 |
$ 29.18 |
$ 60,700 |
| Junior Colleges |
4,030 |
0.64 |
$ 37.76 |
$ 78,530 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services |
6,900 |
3.75 |
$ 29.18 |
$ 60,700 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
45,520 |
0.83 |
$ 29.98 |
$ 62,360 |
| Junior Colleges |
4,030 |
0.64 |
$ 37.76 |
$ 78,530 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
18,720 |
0.61 |
$ 35.53 |
$ 73,890 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
49,030 |
0.57 |
$ 34.52 |
$ 71,800 |
Top paying industries for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) |
1,180 |
0.06 |
$ 49.19 |
$ 102,320 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
290 |
0.03 |
$ 44.76 |
$ 93,100 |
| Legal Services |
620 |
0.05 |
$ 43.68 |
$ 90,840 |
| Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers |
180 |
0.08 |
$ 40.58 |
$ 84,400 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
180 |
0.01 |
$ 39.07 |
$ 81,260 |
Geographic profile for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
11,010 |
1.17 |
1.33 |
$ 39.57 |
$ 82,300 |
| Texas |
9,320 |
0.69 |
0.78 |
$ 31.43 |
$ 65,370 |
| California |
8,680 |
0.48 |
0.55 |
$ 43.71 |
$ 90,930 |
| Ohio |
6,090 |
1.11 |
1.26 |
$ 29.05 |
$ 60,430 |
| Florida |
5,940 |
0.62 |
0.70 |
$ 30.48 |
$ 63,400 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Vermont |
600 |
2.00 |
2.27 |
$ 28.86 |
$ 60,030 |
| Rhode Island |
780 |
1.60 |
1.81 |
$ 35.80 |
$ 74,470 |
| New Hampshire |
1,080 |
1.59 |
1.81 |
$ 31.02 |
$ 64,520 |
| Wyoming |
430 |
1.56 |
1.77 |
$ 23.76 |
$ 49,420 |
| Louisiana |
2,770 |
1.49 |
1.70 |
$ 28.58 |
$ 59,440 |
Top paying states for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
940 |
1.35 |
1.53 |
$ 45.02 |
$ 93,640 |
| Washington |
2,750 |
0.79 |
0.89 |
$ 44.84 |
$ 93,270 |
| California |
8,680 |
0.48 |
0.55 |
$ 43.71 |
$ 90,930 |
| Maryland |
3,180 |
1.19 |
1.35 |
$ 39.68 |
$ 82,540 |
| New York |
11,010 |
1.17 |
1.33 |
$ 39.57 |
$ 82,300 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
10,680 |
1.13 |
1.28 |
$ 41.18 |
$ 85,660 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
4,140 |
0.92 |
1.04 |
$ 33.68 |
$ 70,050 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
3,930 |
1.42 |
1.61 |
$ 37.83 |
$ 78,680 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,740 |
1.21 |
1.37 |
$ 43.15 |
$ 89,740 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,770 |
0.45 |
0.51 |
$ 44.35 |
$ 92,240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
2,720 |
0.69 |
0.78 |
$ 32.75 |
$ 68,110 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,410 |
0.85 |
0.97 |
$ 34.69 |
$ 72,160 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,970 |
0.70 |
0.79 |
$ 36.63 |
$ 76,180 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,750 |
0.55 |
0.62 |
$ 32.99 |
$ 68,610 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
1,660 |
0.87 |
0.99 |
$ 36.62 |
$ 76,170 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| State College, PA |
300 |
4.48 |
5.08 |
$ 32.62 |
$ 67,850 |
| Springfield, OH |
190 |
4.08 |
4.64 |
$ 29.56 |
$ 61,480 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH |
100 |
2.64 |
3.00 |
$ 25.35 |
$ 52,730 |
| Ithaca, NY |
110 |
2.35 |
2.66 |
$ 36.91 |
$ 76,770 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA |
170 |
2.32 |
2.64 |
$ 27.17 |
$ 56,510 |
| Mansfield, OH |
110 |
2.32 |
2.64 |
$ 28.87 |
$ 60,040 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
260 |
2.28 |
2.59 |
$ 35.63 |
$ 74,100 |
| Gainesville, FL |
320 |
2.26 |
2.56 |
$ 26.08 |
$ 54,250 |
| Bloomington, IN |
160 |
2.23 |
2.54 |
$ 31.04 |
$ 64,570 |
| Lawrence, KS |
110 |
2.22 |
2.53 |
$ 30.60 |
$ 63,640 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,600 |
0.66 |
0.75 |
$ 49.08 |
$ 102,090 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
110 |
0.53 |
0.60 |
$ 48.46 |
$ 100,790 |
| Merced, CA |
30 |
0.41 |
0.46 |
$ 48.45 |
$ 100,780 |
| El Centro, CA |
30 |
0.49 |
0.55 |
$ 48.41 |
$ 100,700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
680 |
0.59 |
0.67 |
$ 48.25 |
$ 100,350 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
1,570 |
0.75 |
0.85 |
$ 47.77 |
$ 99,360 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
100 |
0.79 |
0.90 |
$ 45.16 |
$ 93,930 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA |
60 |
0.54 |
0.61 |
$ 45.05 |
$ 93,710 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
90 |
0.73 |
0.83 |
$ 44.85 |
$ 93,290 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
140 |
1.46 |
1.66 |
$ 44.76 |
$ 93,110 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
