Library Technicians Salary: $56,063 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 73,770 library technicians nationally earn a mean of $56,063. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.4% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Library Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about library technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a library technicians?
Library Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-4031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 73,770 workers.
What does a library technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Documenting/Recording Information, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a library technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $39,970 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $56,063 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,187 |
| 25th percentile | $46,387 |
| Median (50th) | $52,684 |
| 75th percentile | $62,802 |
| 90th percentile | $75,436 |
What education do you need?
For Library Technicians, 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 Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Learning Strategies, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is library technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -11.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -21.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 73,770.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do library technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 73,770 | 15.4% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 64,320 | 13.4% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 56,000 | 11.7% |
| Educational Services | 48,370 | 10.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 44,060 | 9.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 44,060 | 9.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Library Technicians 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 Assistants, Clerical | 80,070 | $36,010 |
| Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4,100 | $78,630 |
| Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other | 114,640 | $48,400 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 472,300 | $78,140 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 1,189,330 | $66,260 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Library Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
73,770 Workforce in 2023
The Library Technicians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Library Technicians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$56,063 Average Wage
In 2023, Library Technicians earned an average of $56,063.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Library Technicians.
Salary distribution for Library Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
27,328 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -11.6%
24,154 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -21.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Library Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Library Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Library Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Library Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Library Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Library Technicians.
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: 7,130 employees, $56,266 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Library Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,640 employees, $52,795 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,120 employees, $55,457 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 820 employees, $51,780 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 440 employees, $65,611 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 420 employees, $54,882 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 400 employees, $55,352 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 310 employees, $67,783 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 310 employees, $78,551 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 220 employees, $48,021 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 180 employees, $45,822 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Library Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Library Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Library Technicians in 2023 was 73,770 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Library Technicians.
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 Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Library Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Library Technicians in 2023 were Technical Training, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Common majors for Library Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Library Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Library Technicians.
Skills
Library Technicians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Learning Strategies.
Required skills for Library Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Library Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Library Technicians include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Library Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Library Technicians include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Library Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Library Technicians.
Daily Activities
Library Technicians spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Library Technicians.
About
Library Technicians
The average yearly wage for Library Technicians was $56,063 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-4031 - Library Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Library Technicians reports an average salary of $56,063.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 73,770 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.4%, 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.