Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 25-4022 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$68,266
$32.82/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is $68,266 per year ($32.82/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $56,306 and $84,490 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $104,000 per year. There are approximately 133,790 librarians and media collections specialists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
142K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
49K
$74,130
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
45K
$62,860
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
19K
$74,500
Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services
NAICS 519200
7K
$60,360
Junior Colleges
NAICS 611200
4K
$74,520
Wage range across top 5 industries: $60,360 to $74,520 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$20.99
$43,659
P25
$27.07
$56,306
P50MEDIAN
$32.82
$68,266
P75
$40.62
$84,490
P90
$50.00
$104,000
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average librarians and media collections specialists salary?
The national median salary for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is $68,266 per year ($32.82/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $56,306 and $84,490 annually.
How much do top-earning librarians and media collections specialists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is $104,000 per year ($50.00/hr). The 75th percentile is $84,490 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for librarians and media collections specialists?
Entry-level Librarians and Media Collections Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $43,659 per year ($20.99/hr). The 25th percentile is $56,306 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
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