Library Science

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2022
6,906
growing 5.63%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$7,350
declining 1.84%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$43,060
growing 2.84%
Average Wage
$65,512
growing 6.83%
People in Workforce
21,537
declining 2.77%
Average Employee Age
48.9
declining 0.863%

About

In 2022, the locations with the highest concentration of Library Science degree recipients are San Jose, CA, Denton, TX, and Boston, MA. In 2022, the locations with a relatively high number of Library Science degree recipients are Emporia, KS, Augusta, ME, and San Jose, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Library Science is a masters degree.

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Institutions

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 Dominican University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Library Science.

Tuition costs for Library Science majors are, on average, $7,350 for in-state public colleges, and $43,060 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 (67 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (5,526 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Library Science (2022)
  1. San Jose State University
    763 degrees awarded
  2. University of North Texas
    334 degrees awarded
  3. Texas Woman's University (229179)
    291 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Library Science, is Public, 4-year or above (5,526 completions in 2022).

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

$7,350
Median In-State Public
$43,060
Median Out of State Private

San Jose State University has the most Library Science degree recipients, with 763 degrees awarded in 2022.

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

Highest Concentration Institution
  1. Simmons University
    14.7%
  2. Dominican University
    12%
  3. Emporia State University
    9.3%

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 14.7%.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Library Science
  1. Santa Clara County, CA
    763 degrees awarded
  2. Denton County, TX
    625 degrees awarded
  3. Suffolk County, MA
    288 degrees awarded

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
  1. Tazewell County, IL
    250%
  2. Glacier County, MT
    200%
  3. Hall County, NE
    133%

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

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Employment

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 $65,512 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 Computer Systems Design.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$65,512
Average Wage in Workforce
± $10,473
6.83%
1 Year Growth
± 20.2%

The average salary for Library Science majors is $65,512 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

Highest Paying Pumas
  1. San Mateo County (South & West)--San Mateo (South) & Half Moon Bay Cities PUMA, CA
    $178,744
  2. Suffolk County (North Central)--Brookhaven Town (North) PUMA, NY
    $129,183
  3. Montgomery County (Northeastern Lower)--Willow Grove & Horsham PUMA, PA
    $101,683

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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Most Common

The most common occupations Library Science majors, by number of employees, are Librarians and media collections specialists, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Education administrators.

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Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Library Science majors working as Librarians and media collections specialists, Library assistants, clerical, and Archivists, curators, & museum technicians.

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Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Library Science majors are Software developers, Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers, and Computer & information systems managers.

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Occupations by Share

21,537
2022 Workforce
± 3,603
2.77%
1 Year Growth
± 24.2%

The number of Library Science graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 2.77%, from 22,150 in 2021 to 21,537 in 2022.

The largest single share of Library Science graduates go on to work as Librarians and media collections specialists (35.7%). 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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Most Common

The most common industries that employ Library Science majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Libraries & archives, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

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Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Library Science majors, by average wage, are Computer Systems Design, Scientific research & development services, and Legal services.

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Industries by Share

21,537
2022 Workforce
± 3,603
2.77%
1 Year Growth
± 24.2%

The number of Library Science graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.77%, from 22,150 in 2021 to 21,537 in 2022.

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

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Library Science majors
  1. Champaign County (Southwest)--Champaign & Urbana Cities PUMA, IL
    28.8
  2. San Mateo County (South & West)--San Mateo (South) & Half Moon Bay Cities PUMA, CA
    8.29
  3. Suffolk County (North Central)--Brookhaven Town (North) PUMA, NY
    8.13

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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Diversity

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 48.9.

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 (4,939 students).

Workforce Age

48.9
Average Age in 2022
± 2.26 Years
0.863%
1 Year Change
± 6.47%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Library Science. The most common ages of employees with this major are 60 and 63 years old, which represent 3.8% and 3.43% 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 (83.1%)
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
    4,939 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    750 degrees awarded
  3. Black or African American
    357 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
    3,539 degrees awarded
  2. White Male
    717 degrees awarded
  3. Hispanic or Latino Female
    469 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
    926 degree recipients
  2. Taiwan
    442 degree recipients
  3. India
    392 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. Taiwan
    11.5 times more than expected
  2. Russia
    5.55 times more than expected
  3. China
    4.33 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Taiwan that hold Library Science degrees (11.5 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 (926 degree recipients).

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Skills

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 Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Library Science majors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources, and Programming.

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 Management of Financial Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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