Library Technicians Salary: $39,970 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 73,770 library technicians work nationally, and $39,970 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.4% annual decline.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Library Technicians shrank from 45,900 in 2009 to 30,920 in 2025 (32.6%).
Historical employment for Library Technicians from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$39,970 Median pay (BLS national)
Library Technicians earn $39,970 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
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:
- CA: 7,760 employees, $54,580 avg wage
- TX: 5,160 employees, $38,200 avg wage
- OH: 5,090 employees, $37,320 avg wage
- NY: 4,070 employees, $47,940 avg wage
- FL: 3,610 employees, $42,960 avg wage
- WI: 2,780 employees, $34,330 avg wage
- VA: 2,690 employees, $45,060 avg wage
- CO: 2,560 employees, $43,880 avg wage
- IL: 2,540 employees, $45,400 avg wage
- NC: 2,450 employees, $42,900 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Library Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,180 employees, $50,170 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,080 employees, $55,330 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,040 employees, $51,890 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,800 employees, $46,140 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,650 employees, $39,410 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,280 employees, $54,220 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,140 employees, $39,110 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,130 employees, $61,580 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,130 employees, $38,840 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 1,120 employees, $53,990 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 U.S. workforce for Library Technicians is about 73,770 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Library Technicians earn $39,970 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.