Library Assistants, Clerical Salary: $51,547 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 80,070 library assistants, clerical nationally earn a mean of $51,547. Employment in the series shown rose about 12% from the first to the last year; CA accounts for about 9,750 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Library Assistants, Clerical: what the data shows
Common questions about library assistants, clerical careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a library assistants, clerical?
Library Assistants, Clerical is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4121.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 80,070 workers.
What does a library assistants, clerical do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a library assistants, clerical make?
BLS national median annual wage: $36,010 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $51,547 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,847 |
| 25th percentile | $38,910 |
| Median (50th) | $48,043 |
| 75th percentile | $62,048 |
| 90th percentile | $71,620 |
What education do you need?
For Library Assistants, Clerical, 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 Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is library assistants, clerical in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 1.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 2.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 80,070.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do library assistants, clericals work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 80,070 | 15.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 67,660 | 13.3% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 62,290 | 12.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 50,430 | 9.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 50,430 | 9.9% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 50,040 | 9.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Library Assistants, Clerical in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Library Technicians | 73,770 | $39,970 |
| Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4,100 | $78,630 |
| Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other | 114,640 | $48,400 |
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,510,550 | $43,630 |
| Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 195,890 | $46,040 |
| Dentists, General | 113,490 | $172,790 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Library Assistants, Clerical workforce.
Employment Over Time
80,070 Workforce in 2023
The Library Assistants, Clerical workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$51,547 Average Wage
In 2023, Library Assistants, Clerical earned an average of $51,547.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Salary distribution for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Employment Growth Projections
0.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
42,066 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 1.2%
42,579 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 2.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Library Assistants, Clerical and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Library Assistants, Clerical employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 9,750 employees, $52,030 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,470 employees, $50,638 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 860 employees, $60,833 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 830 employees, $49,636 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 810 employees, $46,265 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 810 employees, $60,718 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 760 employees, $62,508 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 750 employees, $50,560 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 620 employees, $48,135 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 420 employees, $44,662 avg wage
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 220 employees, $49,912 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Diversity
Demographic information on Library Assistants, Clerical in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Library Assistants, Clerical in 2023 was 80,070 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Library Assistants, Clerical.
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 Library Assistants, Clerical.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Library Assistants, Clerical in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Library Assistants, Clerical workers.
Education level distribution for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Skills
Library Assistants, Clerical need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Coordination.
Required skills for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Library Assistants, Clerical include Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Education and Training, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Library Assistants, Clerical include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Library Assistants, Clerical.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Library Assistants, Clerical.
Daily Activities
Library Assistants, Clerical spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Library Assistants, Clerical.
About
Library Assistants, Clerical
The average yearly wage for Library Assistants, Clerical was $51,547 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-4121 - Library Assistants, Clerical
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Library Assistants, Clerical reports an average salary of $51,547.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 80,070 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.2%, 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.