Pay by state · 52 states
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
- $100,030Washington
- National median
- $68,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $42,980West Virginia
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
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, 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.
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?
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.