Sort by any column. Employment is the number of librarians and media collections specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Librarian Salary by State (2026)
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earn the most in Washington at $100,030 a year and the least in West Virginia at $42,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $68,270. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $100,030
- National median
- $68,270
- Lowest median
- $42,980
- States reporting
- 52
Washington
BLS OEWS, May 2025
West Virginia
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
- 1. Washington$100,030 median · $93,475 adjusted · 2,750 employed
- 2. District of Columbia$96,550 median · $87,852 adjusted · 960 employed
- 3. California$89,790 median · $81,096 adjusted · 10,180 employed
- 4. Maryland$88,570 median · $84,385 adjusted · 3,220 employed
- 5. Nevada$84,540 median · $84,558 adjusted · 610 employed
Lowest-paying states for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
- 52. West Virginia$42,980 median · $48,024 adjusted · 610 employed
- 51. Wyoming$46,530 median · $50,199 adjusted · 440 employed
- 50. South Dakota$51,210 median · $57,808 adjusted · 490 employed
- 49. Puerto Rico$51,610 median · no price parity · 1,310 employed
- 48. Indiana$53,500 median · $57,324 adjusted · 1,920 employed
Librarian salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $100,030 | $80,690 | $118,540 | 2,750 | $93,475 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $96,550 | $76,960 | $108,780 | 960 | $87,852 |
| 3 | California | $89,790 | $66,540 | $108,800 | 10,180 | $81,096 |
| 4 | Maryland | $88,570 | $68,350 | $105,070 | 3,220 | $84,385 |
| 5 | Nevada | $84,540 | $66,670 | $95,150 | 610 | $84,558 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $79,210 | $63,050 | $99,120 | 2,550 | $76,450 |
| 7 | Alaska | $78,810 | $62,440 | $97,710 | 350 | $76,994 |
| 8 | New York | $78,590 | $63,490 | $99,530 | 11,870 | $72,822 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $78,540 | $62,550 | $97,710 | 4,980 | $74,265 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $78,380 | $63,900 | $99,770 | 4,100 | $72,037 |
| 11 | Oregon | $78,070 | $60,220 | $93,620 | 1,690 | $75,531 |
| 12 | Delaware | $77,700 | $66,090 | $95,070 | 370 | $77,849 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $77,650 | $62,570 | $90,510 | 2,220 | $78,736 |
| 14 | Virginia | $77,430 | $61,770 | $94,380 | 4,590 | $76,585 |
| 15 | Georgia | $76,750 | $61,680 | $84,300 | 3,330 | $79,705 |
| 16 | Colorado | $76,480 | $62,110 | $84,260 | 1,990 | $74,215 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $75,860 | $61,670 | $94,670 | 780 | $74,169 |
| 18 | Texas | $71,860 | $61,260 | $81,710 | 9,150 | $74,039 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $68,270 | $58,290 | $82,400 | 300 | $62,091 |
| 20 | Florida | $67,060 | $59,750 | $77,620 | 6,670 | $64,846 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $66,870 | $58,260 | $79,290 | 2,450 | $71,066 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $65,200 | $54,020 | $76,840 | 1,980 | $72,317 |
| 23 | Alabama | $64,650 | $52,400 | $74,090 | 2,750 | $72,785 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $64,060 | $46,620 | $77,490 | 1,200 | $71,096 |
| 25 | Montana | $63,870 | $50,180 | $78,550 | 640 | $67,484 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $63,580 | $50,650 | $81,940 | 1,150 | $61,038 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $62,880 | $46,990 | $81,120 | 5,050 | $64,445 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $62,830 | $48,470 | $75,940 | 570 | $70,628 |
| 29 | Illinois | $62,700 | $49,720 | $80,690 | 5,390 | $62,726 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $62,640 | $49,260 | $77,130 | 2,130 | $66,817 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $62,530 | $50,440 | $75,540 | 580 | $67,811 |
| 32 | Vermont | $62,360 | $50,650 | $75,160 | 600 | $63,660 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $62,090 | $51,330 | $74,130 | 2,540 | $67,585 |
| 34 | Kansas | $61,900 | $52,570 | $74,510 | 1,620 | $68,726 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $61,420 | $51,450 | $73,900 | 4,010 | $65,115 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $60,650 | $51,630 | $64,240 | 2,130 | $68,759 |
| 37 | Ohio | $60,630 | $48,740 | $76,460 | 4,820 | $65,352 |
| 38 | Arizona | $60,500 | $45,550 | $75,070 | 1,990 | $60,093 |
| 39 | Michigan | $60,010 | $48,780 | $76,240 | 3,940 | $62,369 |
| 40 | Maine | $59,540 | $47,200 | $73,890 | 780 | $61,350 |
| 41 | Missouri | $58,700 | $45,790 | $73,810 | 2,970 | $64,635 |
| 42 | Iowa | $58,440 | $39,550 | $76,040 | 1,770 | $66,589 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $58,180 | $48,040 | $64,200 | 1,820 | $66,232 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $56,970 | $47,250 | $62,030 | 1,060 | $65,518 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $56,800 | $42,920 | $63,160 | 1,490 | $65,335 |
| 46 | Idaho | $54,130 | $39,000 | $70,740 | 650 | $56,684 |
| 47 | Utah | $53,730 | $41,600 | $77,440 | 1,630 | $54,347 |
| 48 | Indiana | $53,500 | $41,120 | $65,720 | 1,920 | $57,324 |
| 49 | Puerto Rico | $51,610 | $36,190 | $61,030 | 1,310 | N/A |
| 50 | South Dakota | $51,210 | $42,750 | $60,600 | 490 | $57,808 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $46,530 | $35,550 | $60,420 | 440 | $50,199 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $42,980 | $33,100 | $56,960 | 610 | $48,024 |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Librarians and Media Collections Specialists, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $100,030, while Washington leads once prices are taken into account at $93,475.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Librarian pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Librarians and Media Collections Specialists the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists at $100,030 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($96,550) and California ($89,790).
Which state pays Librarians and Media Collections Specialists the least?
West Virginia reports the lowest median for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists at $42,980 a year, $57,050 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Washington first at $93,475 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $100,030. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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