Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Salary: $93,432 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 131,830 librarians and media collections specialists nationally earn a mean of $93,432. Employment in the series shown rose about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists: what the data shows
Common questions about librarians and media collections specialists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a librarians and media collections specialists?
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-4022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 131,830 workers.
What does a librarians and media collections specialists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a librarians and media collections specialists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $64,320 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $93,432 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,798 |
| 25th percentile | $68,369 |
| Median (50th) | $88,943 |
| 75th percentile | $108,388 |
| 90th percentile | $134,314 |
What education do you need?
For Librarians and Media Collections Specialists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is librarians and media collections specialists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 6.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 12.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 131,830.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do librarians and media collections specialistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 145,830 | 16.0% |
| Cross-industry | 131,830 | 14.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 105,680 | 11.6% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 97,620 | 10.7% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 90,740 | 10.0% |
| Educational Services | 72,910 | 8.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Librarians and Media Collections Specialists workforce.
Employment Over Time
131,830 Workforce in 2023
The Librarians and Media Collections Specialists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$93,432 Average Wage
In 2023, Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earned an average of $93,432.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Salary distribution for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Employment Growth Projections
1.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
42,457 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 6.0%
45,021 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 12.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Librarians and Media Collections Specialists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Librarians and Media Collections Specialists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 11,020 employees, $82,150 avg wage
- CA: 10,030 employees, $90,960 avg wage
- TX: 9,430 employees, $64,910 avg wage
- FL: 5,960 employees, $63,860 avg wage
- PA: 5,420 employees, $61,700 avg wage
- MA: 5,120 employees, $76,600 avg wage
- OH: 4,770 employees, $59,720 avg wage
- VA: 4,750 employees, $73,340 avg wage
- IL: 4,610 employees, $67,380 avg wage
- NC: 3,990 employees, $62,070 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 9,570 employees, $87,960 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 3,720 employees, $91,400 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,700 employees, $78,470 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,300 employees, $72,650 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,180 employees, $91,210 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,750 employees, $67,180 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,450 employees, $72,680 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,980 employees, $99,530 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,890 employees, $67,440 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,880 employees, $76,040 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in 2023 was 131,830 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Librarians and Media Collections Specialists workers.
Education level distribution for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Skills
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Daily Activities
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
About
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
The average yearly wage for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists was $93,432 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-4022 - Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Librarians and Media Collections Specialists reports an average salary of $93,432.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 131,830 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.