Librarian and Media Collections Specialist Salary

Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earn a median $68,270 a year nationally. Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

U.S. median

$68,270

$32.82 per hour

Range

$43,660 – $103,990

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

133,790

across the U.S.

Librarian and Media Collections Specialist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$56,858

per year · effective tax rate 16.7%

$4,738Monthly

$2,369Twice a month

$2,187Every 2 weeks

$27.34Hourly

Federal income tax$6,189
Social Security (6.2%)$4,233
Medicare (1.45%)$990
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$56,858

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$43,660	$20.99	$37,261
25th percentile	$56,310	$27.07	$47,425
Median (50th)	$68,270	$32.82	$56,858
75th percentile	$84,480	$40.62	$68,262
90th percentile (top earners)	$103,990	$50.00	$81,987

Best cities for librarians and media collections specialists (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	Seattle, WA	$101,780	$80,432	$72,375	1,590
2	San Jose, CA	$103,240	$74,745	$67,690	700
3	Washington, DC	$95,480	$70,853	$65,072	3,630
4	San Francisco, CA	$101,490	$73,700	$63,747	1,940
5	Los Angeles, CA	$97,510	$71,322	$62,802	3,270
6	Madison, WI	$78,050	$60,982	$62,683	440
7	Houston, TX	$75,280	$61,789	$62,648	1,880
8	New Haven, CT	$82,420	$63,854	$61,070	570
9	Virginia Beach, VA	$77,520	$59,722	$60,978	880
10	Richmond, VA	$77,430	$59,664	$60,970	720
11	Baltimore, MD	$83,090	$63,701	$60,965	1,540
12	Louisville, KY	$71,260	$56,585	$60,796	440
13	Durham, NC	$74,980	$59,095	$60,566	470
14	Atlanta, GA	$78,460	$60,577	$60,542	1,810
15	Milwaukee, WI	$74,240	$58,504	$60,352	610
16	Philadelphia, PA	$77,330	$60,858	$59,342	2,430
17	Dallas, TX	$74,340	$61,128	$59,296	2,550
18	Bridgeport, CT	$81,610	$63,329	$59,261	540
19	Sacramento, CA	$83,890	$63,184	$59,233	540
20	Hartford, CT	$77,800	$60,858	$59,232	900
21	San Antonio, TX	$66,870	$55,873	$58,990	810
22	Minneapolis, MN	$80,800	$61,702	$58,863	1,390
23	Providence, RI	$75,730	$59,883	$58,840	970
24	Denver, CO	$79,620	$62,048	$58,656	1,000
25	Syracuse, NY	$71,850	$56,094	$58,588	470

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $103,240
Seattle, WA — $101,780
San Francisco, CA — $101,490
Los Angeles, CA — $97,510
Washington, DC — $95,480
San Diego, CA — $84,810
Sacramento, CA — $83,890
Baltimore, MD — $83,090
New Haven, CT — $82,420
Portland, OR — $82,130
New York, NY — $81,670
Bridgeport, CT — $81,610
Minneapolis, MN — $80,800
Denver, CO — $79,620
Boston, MA — $79,450

Librarian and Media Collections Specialist salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
Washington	$100,030	$79,201	$64,440 – $129,690	2,750
District of Columbia	$96,550	$71,515	$63,540 – $126,660	960
California	$89,790	$66,709	$50,750 – $132,870	10,180
Maryland	$88,570	$67,296	$57,380 – $123,910	3,220
Nevada	$84,540	$68,304	$56,310 – $102,940	610
Connecticut	$79,210	$61,773	$50,340 – $116,720	2,550
Alaska	$78,810	$64,273	$48,760 – $98,530	350
New York	$78,590	$60,471	$52,340 – $129,970	11,870
Massachusetts	$78,540	$60,376	$50,260 – $109,060	4,980
New Jersey	$78,380	$61,167	$56,320 – $107,050	4,100
Oregon	$78,070	$57,751	$43,740 – $116,250	1,690
Delaware	$77,700	$59,705	$56,940 – $102,160	370
Minnesota	$77,650	$59,700	$48,040 – $99,990	2,220
Virginia	$77,430	$59,664	$48,510 – $107,600	4,590
Georgia	$76,750	$59,463	$48,500 – $101,730	3,330
Colorado	$76,480	$59,977	$51,200 – $101,280	1,990
Rhode Island	$75,860	$59,970	$50,040 – $100,990	780
Texas	$71,860	$59,384	$49,240 – $100,790	9,150
Hawaii	$68,270	$53,200	$51,280 – $97,760	300
Florida	$67,060	$56,007	$49,320 – $92,240	6,670
Wisconsin	$66,870	$53,709	$46,350 – $85,970	2,450
Kentucky	$65,200	$52,404	$45,950 – $85,190	1,980
Alabama	$64,650	$51,159	$37,890 – $78,310	2,750
Nebraska	$64,060	$51,617	$33,820 – $92,860	1,200
Montana	$63,870	$51,252	$40,750 – $84,440	640
New Hampshire	$63,580	$53,267	$40,560 – $94,300	1,150
Pennsylvania	$62,880	$50,774	$37,240 – $98,490	5,050
North Dakota	$62,830	$52,664	$36,400 – $98,000	570
Illinois	$62,700	$49,601	$38,650 – $103,540	5,390
South Carolina	$62,640	$49,910	$36,490 – $92,890	2,130
New Mexico	$62,530	$50,650	$41,600 – $97,490	580
Vermont	$62,360	$50,631	$36,390 – $86,070	600
Tennessee	$62,090	$52,069	$36,860 – $80,140	2,540
Kansas	$61,900	$49,262	$34,780 – $80,570	1,620
North Carolina	$61,420	$49,589	$44,600 – $83,650	4,010
Louisiana	$60,650	$49,479	$46,800 – $78,240	2,130
Ohio	$60,630	$50,011	$39,710 – $92,900	4,820
Arizona	$60,500	$49,488	$35,730 – $96,490	1,990
Michigan	$60,010	$48,098	$39,450 – $89,750	3,940
Maine	$59,540	$47,183	$36,580 – $83,640	780
Missouri	$58,700	$47,524	$34,510 – $86,850	2,970
Iowa	$58,440	$47,568	$31,620 – $86,600	1,770
Oklahoma	$58,180	$46,855	$32,350 – $82,650	1,820
Mississippi	$56,970	$46,409	$29,340 – $68,970	1,060
Arkansas	$56,800	$45,816	$31,640 – $73,210	1,490
Idaho	$54,130	$43,913	$35,940 – $90,950	650
Utah	$53,730	$43,900	$35,810 – $99,890	1,630
Indiana	$53,500	$43,619	$32,520 – $79,300	1,920
South Dakota	$51,210	$43,327	$37,760 – $77,500	490
Wyoming	$46,530	$39,567	$27,990 – $74,290	440
West Virginia	$42,980	$35,505	$29,910 – $63,130	610

Frequently asked questions

How much does a librarian and media collections specialist make?

The national median salary for librarians and media collections specialists is $68,270 a year ($32.82 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $43,660 and the top 10% earn over $103,990. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays librarians and media collections specialists the most?

Washington has the highest median pay at $100,030. After taxes and local prices, Seattle, WA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many librarians and media collections specialists are there in the U.S.?

About 133,790 people work as librarians and media collections specialists nationwide.

All 59 cities