An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Field of degree: Library science

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Library science field of degree. Employment: 30,330. Median annual wage: $50,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. Library science degree, 2019
Data	Library science	All fields
Employment	30,330	56,820,460
Median wage	50,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	20	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	69	60
Percent with an advanced degree	73	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of library science major, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of library science major, 2019
Library science major	Major share
Library Science	100%
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a library science degree, by occupational group, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a library science degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	48%
Office and administrative support occupations	11
Management occupations	11
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	5
Computer and mathematical occupations	5
Other	20
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a library science degree.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a library science degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Preschool teachers, except special education	15%	Associate's degree	2%	17%
Librarians and media collections specialists	6	Master's degree	34	61
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	3	20
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	5	Master's degree	3	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	7	48
Editors	-5	Bachelor's degree	1	27
Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service	-7	High school diploma or equivalent	2	3
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-10	High school diploma or equivalent	3	4
Computer programmers	-10	Bachelor's degree	2	22
Cashiers	-10	No formal educational credential	1	1
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Library science,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/library-science/library-science-field-of-degree.htm (visited April 16, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022