Pay by state · 52 areas
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. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $100,030Washington
- National median
- $68,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $42,980West Virginia
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for librarians and media collections specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$100,030
- 2District of Columbia$96,550
- 3California$89,790
- 4Maryland$88,570
- 5Nevada$84,540
Lowest median pay
- 1West Virginia$42,980
- 2Wyoming$46,530
- 3South Dakota$51,210
- 4Indiana$53,500
- 5Utah$53,730
All states
Librarian salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $100,030 | $80,690 | $118,540 | 2,750 | $93,475 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $96,550 | $76,960 | $108,780 | 960 | $87,852 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $89,790 | $66,540 | $108,800 | 10,180 | $81,096 |
| 4 | MDMaryland | $88,570 | $68,350 | $105,070 | 3,220 | $84,385 |
| 5 | NVNevada | $84,540 | $66,670 | $95,150 | 610 | $84,558 |
| 6 | CTConnecticut | $79,210 | $63,050 | $99,120 | 2,550 | $76,450 |
| 7 | AKAlaska | $78,810 | $62,440 | $97,710 | 350 | $76,994 |
| 8 | NYNew York | $78,590 | $63,490 | $99,530 | 11,870 | $72,822 |
| 9 | MAMassachusetts | $78,540 | $62,550 | $97,710 | 4,980 | $74,265 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $78,380 | $63,900 | $99,770 | 4,100 | $72,037 |
| 11 | OROregon | $78,070 | $60,220 | $93,620 | 1,690 | $75,531 |
| 12 | DEDelaware | $77,700 | $66,090 | $95,070 | 370 | $77,849 |
| 13 | MNMinnesota | $77,650 | $62,570 | $90,510 | 2,220 | $78,736 |
| 14 | VAVirginia | $77,430 | $61,770 | $94,380 | 4,590 | $76,585 |
| 15 | GAGeorgia | $76,750 | $61,680 | $84,300 | 3,330 | $79,705 |
| 16 | COColorado | $76,480 | $62,110 | $84,260 | 1,990 | $74,215 |
| 17 | RIRhode Island | $75,860 | $61,670 | $94,670 | 780 | $74,169 |
| 18 | TXTexas | $71,860 | $61,260 | $81,710 | 9,150 | $74,039 |
| 19 | HIHawaii | $68,270 | $58,290 | $82,400 | 300 | $62,091 |
| 20 | FLFlorida | $67,060 | $59,750 | $77,620 | 6,670 | $64,846 |
| 21 | WIWisconsin | $66,870 | $58,260 | $79,290 | 2,450 | $71,066 |
| 22 | KYKentucky | $65,200 | $54,020 | $76,840 | 1,980 | $72,317 |
| 23 | ALAlabama | $64,650 | $52,400 | $74,090 | 2,750 | $72,785 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $64,060 | $46,620 | $77,490 | 1,200 | $71,096 |
| 25 | MTMontana | $63,870 | $50,180 | $78,550 | 640 | $67,484 |
| 26 | NHNew Hampshire | $63,580 | $50,650 | $81,940 | 1,150 | $61,038 |
| 27 | PAPennsylvania | $62,880 | $46,990 | $81,120 | 5,050 | $64,445 |
| 28 | NDNorth Dakota | $62,830 | $48,470 | $75,940 | 570 | $70,628 |
| 29 | ILIllinois | $62,700 | $49,720 | $80,690 | 5,390 | $62,726 |
| 30 | SCSouth Carolina | $62,640 | $49,260 | $77,130 | 2,130 | $66,817 |
| 31 | NMNew Mexico | $62,530 | $50,440 | $75,540 | 580 | $67,811 |
| 32 | VTVermont | $62,360 | $50,650 | $75,160 | 600 | $63,660 |
| 33 | TNTennessee | $62,090 | $51,330 | $74,130 | 2,540 | $67,585 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $61,900 | $52,570 | $74,510 | 1,620 | $68,726 |
| 35 | NCNorth Carolina | $61,420 | $51,450 | $73,900 | 4,010 | $65,115 |
| 36 | LALouisiana | $60,650 | $51,630 | $64,240 | 2,130 | $68,759 |
| 37 | OHOhio | $60,630 | $48,740 | $76,460 | 4,820 | $65,352 |
| 38 | AZArizona | $60,500 | $45,550 | $75,070 | 1,990 | $60,093 |
| 39 | MIMichigan | $60,010 | $48,780 | $76,240 | 3,940 | $62,369 |
| 40 | MEMaine | $59,540 | $47,200 | $73,890 | 780 | $61,350 |
| 41 | MOMissouri | $58,700 | $45,790 | $73,810 | 2,970 | $64,635 |
| 42 | IAIowa | $58,440 | $39,550 | $76,040 | 1,770 | $66,589 |
| 43 | OKOklahoma | $58,180 | $48,040 | $64,200 | 1,820 | $66,232 |
| 44 | MSMississippi | $56,970 | $47,250 | $62,030 | 1,060 | $65,518 |
| 45 | ARArkansas | $56,800 | $42,920 | $63,160 | 1,490 | $65,335 |
| 46 | IDIdaho | $54,130 | $39,000 | $70,740 | 650 | $56,684 |
| 47 | UTUtah | $53,730 | $41,600 | $77,440 | 1,630 | $54,347 |
| 48 | INIndiana | $53,500 | $41,120 | $65,720 | 1,920 | $57,324 |
| 49 | PRPuerto Rico | $51,610 | $36,190 | $61,030 | 1,310 | N/A |
| 50 | SDSouth Dakota | $51,210 | $42,750 | $60,600 | 490 | $57,808 |
| 51 | WYWyoming | $46,530 | $35,550 | $60,420 | 440 | $50,199 |
| 52 | WVWest Virginia | $42,980 | $33,100 | $56,960 | 610 | $48,024 |
Method
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, the adjustment does not change the leader: Washington is first on raw pay and still first 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.
Questions
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?
Among the 50 states and DC, 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). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $51,610.
In which states do librarians and media collections specialists earn over $100,000?
One of the 50 states and DC has a median of $100,000 or more: Washington ($100,030) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for librarians and media collections specialists after cost of living?
Yes. Washington stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $93,475 in national-average dollars from a raw $100,030. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.