Library Science

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2021
6,538
growing 10.9%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$7,488
growing 1.88%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$41,872
growing 0.437%
Average Wage
$61,669
growing 5.31%
People in Workforce
21,824
declining 6.04%
Average Employee Age
49.3
growing 1.1%

About

In 2021, the locations with the highest concentration of Library Science degree recipients are Denton, TX, San Jose, CA, and Boston, MA. In 2021, the locations with a relatively high number of Library Science degree recipients are Clarion, PA, Emporia, KS, and Augusta, ME. The most common degree awarded to students studying Library Science is a masters degree.

learningInstitutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Library Science and the types of students that study this field. San Jose State University awards the most degrees in Library Science in the US, but Simmons University and Clarion University of Pennsylvania have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Library Science.

Tuition costs for Library Science majors are, on average, $7,488 for in-state public colleges, and $41,872 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Library Science programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (68 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (5,186 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Library Science

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Library Science, is Public, 4-year or above (5,186 completions in 2021).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Library Science programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,488
Median In-State Public
$41,872
Median Out of State Private

San Jose State University has the most Library Science degree recipients, with 648 degrees awarded in 2021.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Library Science.

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Specialized Colleges

Out of all institutions that offer Library Science programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Simmons University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Library Science, with 11.3%.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Library Science

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Library Science by year.

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Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Library Science.

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briefcaseEmployment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Library Science graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Library Science majors is $61,669 and the most common occupations are Librarians and media collections specialists, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Education administrators.

The industry that employs the most Library Science majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Scientific research & development services.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$61,669
Average Wage in Workforce
± $9,029
5.31%
1 Year Growth
± 19.5%

The average salary for Library Science majors is $61,669 and the most common occupations are Librarians and media collections specialists, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Education administrators.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Library Science majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Library Science majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Library Science majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Library Science majors are Computer & information systems managers, Software developers, and Office clerks, general.

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Occupations by Share

21,824
2021 Workforce
± 3,627
6.04%
1 Year Growth
± 24.6%

The number of Library Science graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 6.04%, from 23,226 in 2020 to 21,824 in 2021.

The largest single share of Library Science graduates go on to work as Librarians and media collections specialists (35.2%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Library Science by share of the total number of graduates.

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Industries by Share

21,824
2021 Workforce
± 3,627
6.04%
1 Year Growth
± 24.6%

The number of Library Science graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 6.04%, from 23,226 in 2020 to 21,824 in 2021.

The industry which employs the most Library Science graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Libraries & archives. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Library Science.

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Specialty Locations

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Library Science majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Library Science majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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geosearchDiversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Library Science in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Library Science is 49.3.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Library Science degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Library Science (4,735 students).

Workforce Age

49.3
Average Age in 2021
± 2.21 Years
1.1%
1 Year Change
± 6.11%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Library Science. The most common ages of employees with this major are 63 and 60 years old, which represent 3.98% and 3.71% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Library Science are Masters Degree, Postbaccalaureate Certificate, and Associates Degree.

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Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Library Science are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Professional degree.

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Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (83.9%)
Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Library Science.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    4,735 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    730 degrees awarded
  3. Black or African American
    305 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Library Science for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
  1. White Female
    3,389 degrees awarded
  2. White Male
    662 degrees awarded
  3. Hispanic or Latino Female
    459 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Library Science.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. China
    892 degree recipients
  2. Taiwan
    479 degree recipients
  3. India
    316 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Belarus
    14 times more than expected
  2. Taiwan
    11.9 times more than expected
  3. Russia
    7.02 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Belarus that hold Library Science degrees (14 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is China (892 degree recipients).

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predictive-analysisSkills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Library Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Library Science majors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Library Science majors need more than the average amount of Installation, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Equipment Selection, Management of Material Resources, Troubleshooting, Technology Design, Management of Financial Resources, Learning Strategies, Instructing, Service Orientation, Management of Personnel Resources, Systems Analysis, Active Listening, Systems Evaluation, Operation Monitoring, Operations Analysis, Writing, Active Learning, Speaking, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Persuasion, Negotiation, Programming, Quality Control Analysis, Mathematics, and Science.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Library Science majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Installation is very distinctive for majors, but the Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Writing, Active Learning, Monitoring, Learning Strategies, Instructing, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Analysis, Time Management, Service Orientation, Coordination, Systems Evaluation, Management of Personnel Resources, Persuasion, Management of Material Resources, Negotiation, Operation Monitoring, Management of Financial Resources, Operations Analysis, Mathematics, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Maintenance, Technology Design, Equipment Selection, Installation, Operation and Control, Repairing, Programming, and Science are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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Bar Chart

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