Librarian and Media Collections Specialist Salary in New York, NY
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn a median $81,670 a year — 20% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $62,472 take-home, or $5,206 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median librarian and media collections specialist salary in New York, NY. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$9,137
- Social Security (6.2%)$5,064
- Medicare (1.45%)$1,184
- New York income tax$3,813
- Take-home pay$62,472
Marginal rate: 22% federal + 5.40% state
Living in New York City? City residents also pay New York City’s city income tax — about $2,731 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $59,741 ($4,978 a month). Choose “New York City” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro spans New York, New Jersey. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Librarian and Media Collections Specialist pay by experience in New York, NY
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $61,380 | $29.51 | $48,781 | $4,065 |
| 25th percentile | $69,770 | $33.54 | $54,743 | $4,562 |
| Median (50th) | $81,670 | $39.26 | $62,472 | $5,206 |
| 75th percentile | $103,520 | $49.77 | $76,589 | $6,382 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $131,410 | $63.18 | $94,372 | $7,864 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, New York resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $81,670 buys in New York, NY
Prices in New York, NY are 12.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.49× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median librarian and media collections specialist's $62,472 take-home pay has the buying power of $55,499 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
New York, NY has 1.3× the national concentration of librarian and media collections specialist jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.
Best-paying cities for librarians and media collections specialists, adjusted for cost of living
New York, NY ranks #6 of 7 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $95,480 | $70,853 | $65,072 |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | $97,510 | $71,322 | $62,802 |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | $77,330 | $60,858 | $59,342 |
| 4 | Dallas, TX | $74,340 | $61,128 | $59,296 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $79,450 | $60,971 | $56,316 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $81,670 | $62,472 | $55,499 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $66,250 | $52,277 | $50,463 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 7 metros →
About the job: 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.
- Typical education
- Master's degree
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- None
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +2.6% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a librarian and media collections specialist make in New York, NY?
The median librarian and media collections specialist salary in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area is $81,670 a year, or about $39.26 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $69,770 and $103,520.
What is a librarian and media collections specialist’s take-home pay in New York, NY?
On the median $81,670 salary, a single filer living in New York takes home about $62,472 a year ($5,206 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $3,813 in New York taxes in 2026.
Is New York, NY a good place to work as a librarian and media collections specialist?
Pay here is 20% above the national median of $68,270. Local prices are 12.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $55,499 would in a typical U.S. city. New York, NY ranks #6 of 7 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a librarian and media collections specialist afford rent in New York, NY?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in New York, NY is $2,378 a month ($2,697 for two bedrooms) — 46% of a median librarian and media collections specialist’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
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