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The national median salary for Library Technicians is $44,574 per year ($21.43/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,734 and $52,437 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,086 per year. There are approximately 68,690 library technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases, and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that require only brief consultation of standard reference. Compile records; sort and shelve books or other media; remove or repair damaged books or other media; register patrons; and check materials in and out of the circulation process. Replace materials in shelving area (stacks) or files. Includes bookmobile drivers who assist with providing services in mobile libraries.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-6.8%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
13K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
79K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
40K
$40,260
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
11K
$45,590
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
9K
$48,320
Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services
NAICS 519200
4K
$46,340
Junior Colleges
NAICS 611200
2K
$44,630
Wage range across top 5 industries: $40,260 to $48,320 (20% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.09
$29,307
P25
$17.18
$35,734
P50MEDIAN
$21.43
$44,574
P75
$25.21
$52,437
P90
$30.33
$63,086
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 library technicians salary?
The national median salary for Library Technicians is $44,574 per year ($21.43/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,734 and $52,437 annually.
How much do top-earning library technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Library Technicians is $63,086 per year ($30.33/hr). The 75th percentile is $52,437 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for library technicians?
Entry-level Library Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,307 per year ($14.09/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,734 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.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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