Librarians and media collections specialists

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

206k

Average Age

46.2

Estimated Job Growth

1.69%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$57,745

Average Male Salary

$66,236

Average Female Salary

$55,733

About

Librarians and media collections specialists are most often employed by the Libraries & archives industry. The average yearly wage for Librarians and media collections specialists was $57,745 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Librarians and media collections specialists are Grafton, Sullivan, Coos Counties PUMA, NH, Champaign County (Southwest)--Champaign & Urbana Cities PUMA, IL, and Cook County (Northeast)--Evanston & Niles (East) Townships PUMA, IL. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Librarians and media collections specialists are Benton (Southwest), Sherburne (Northwest) & Stearns (East) Counties--St. Cloud City PUMA, MN, Tompkins County PUMA, NY, and Capitol East PUMA, CT.

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

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Librarians and media collections specialists workforce. Librarians and media collections specialists workforce in 2024 was 206,470 people, of which 80.8% were women and 19.2% were men.

Librarians and media collections specialists are paid most in Santa Clara County (Central)--San Jose City (Central) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Benton (Southwest), Sherburne (Northwest) & Stearns (East) Counties--St. Cloud City PUMA, MN.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

39,556

Male Workforce

± 4.88k

166,914

Female Workforce

± 10k

The Librarians and media collections specialists workforce in 2024 was 206,470 people (80.8% women and 19.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of 14.6% between 2018 (180,088) and 2024 (206,470).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Librarians and media collections specialists.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($88,611), Maryland ($73,989), and New York ($73,563).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$57,745

AVERAGE WAGE

#286 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Librarians and media collections specialists earned an average of $57,745, $12,132 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Librarians and media collections specialists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.331

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Librarians and media collections specialists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.331, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Librarians and media collections specialists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Librarians and media collections specialists and on wages for those in the field. Libraries & archives is the industry that employs the most Librarians and media collections specialists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Librarians and media collections specialists, by average wage, is Advertising, public relations & related services ($171,152).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

206k

2024 Workforce

± 11,148

1.55%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.55%

This graphic shows the share of Librarians and media collections specialists employed by various industries. Libraries & archives employs the largest share of Librarians and media collections specialists at 46.3%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 29.2% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 23.4%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Librarians and media collections specialists in the US. The workforce of Librarians and media collections specialists in 2024 was 206,470 people, with 80.8% woman, and 19.2% men. The average age of male Librarians and media collections specialists in the workforce is 44.9 and of female Librarians and media collections specialists is 46.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Librarians and media collections specialists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Librarians and media collections specialists in 2024 was 206,470 people, with 80.8% woman, and 19.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 50 to 54 years (26,036 people), 35 to 39 years (25,258 people), and 45 to 49 years (25,172 people). Among them they concentrated 37.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 8.72% of Librarians and media collections specialists workers were Hispanic and 91.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.8%), Puerto Rican (15.1)%, and Cuban (7.28)%

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

Races

In 2024, 78.2% of the Librarians and media collections specialists workforce were White, of which 82.3% were women and 17.7% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (7.68%) and Black (7.03%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Librarians and media collections specialists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Librarians and media collections specialists is Education but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 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 and media collections specialists in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Education (32,284 people), English (25,906 people), and Social Sciences (13,271 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 and media collections specialists workers were Graduate Degree (120,997 people), Bachelors Degree (50,850 people), and Some college (19,042 people).

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

Projections

Projections on job growth for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Librarians and Media Collections Specialists are expected to see a growth of 1.69% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

1.69%

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 and media collections specialists. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.