Librarians

Detailed Occupation

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2017 Workforce

177k

Average Age

47.5

Estimated Job Growth

6.38%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$43,818

Average Male Salary

$48,560

Average Female Salary

$42,808

About

Librarians are most often employed by the Libraries & archives industry. The average yearly wage for Librarians was $43,818 in 2017.

The locations that employ the most Librarians are Champaign County (Southwest)--Champaign & Urbana Cities PUMA, IL, Southern Vermont--Rutland, Windsor, Bennington & Windham Counties PUMA, VT, and Southeast Montgomery County--Takoma Park City & Silver Spring PUMA, MD. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Librarians are Southeast Montgomery County--Takoma Park City & Silver Spring PUMA, MD, Salt Lake County--Salt Lake City (East) & Emigration Canyon PUMA, UT, and Champaign County (Southwest)--Champaign & Urbana Cities PUMA, IL.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations Education, Training, & Library Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Librarians workforce. Librarians workforce in 2017 was 176,942 people, of which 82.4% were women and 17.6% were men.

Librarians are paid most in Johnson, Lafayette, Ray, Clinton & Caldwell Counties PUMA, MO but are relatively concentrated in Southeast Montgomery County--Takoma Park City & Silver Spring PUMA, MD.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

31,055

Male Workforce

± 4.33k

145,887

Female Workforce

± 9.37k

The Librarians workforce in 2017 was 176,942 people (82.4% women and 17.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 1.4% between 2014 (174,504) and 2017 (176,942).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Librarians.

During 2017, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Alaska ($67,644), District of Columbia ($64,643), and Maryland ($61,161).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$43,818

AVERAGE WAGE

#248 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2017, Librarians earned an average of $43,818, $26,060 less than the average national salary of $69,878

In 2017, Librarians had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.35, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Librarians (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Librarians compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Librarians and on wages for those in the field. Libraries & archives is the industry that employs the most Librarians, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Librarians, by average wage, is Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing ($88,129).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

177k

2017 Workforce

± 10,321

−0.039%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.25%

This graphic shows the share of Librarians employed by various industries. Libraries & archives employs the largest share of Librarians at 43.9%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 30.2% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 24.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Librarians in the US. The workforce of Librarians in 2017 was 176,942 people, with 82.4% woman, and 17.6% men. The average age of male Librarians in the workforce is 44.8 and of female Librarians is 48, and the most common race/ethnicity for Librarians is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Librarians in 2017 was 176,942 people, with 82.4% woman, and 17.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 55 to 59 years (23,439 people), 60 to 64 years (22,548 people), and 50 to 54 years (19,669 people). Among them they concentrated 37.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2017, 6.66% of Librarians workers were Hispanic and 93.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.7%), Puerto Rican (20.9)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (5.09)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2017, 85.9% of the Librarians workforce were White, of which 82.9% were women and 17.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (6.49%) and Asian (4.24%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Librarians from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Librarians is Education but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2017 were Library Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Librarians in 2017 (counting all academic degrees) were Education (28,652 people), English (21,213 people), and History (12,296 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Librarians workers were Graduate Degree (102,923 people), Bachelors Degree (42,740 people), and Some college (20,145 people).

The graphic shows the Librarians workforce by gender and educational level.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Librarians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Librarians are expected to see a growth of 6.38% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

6.38%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Librarians. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.