The median annual wage for librarians was $56,880 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,810, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $88,530.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for librarians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private
$60,300
Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private
58,480
Information
52,520
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
51,570
Most librarians work full time, although opportunities exist for part-time work. In 2014, about 1 in 5 of librarians worked part time.
Public and academic librarians often work on weekends and evenings, and may work holidays. School librarians usually have the same work and vacation schedules as teachers, including summers off. Special librarians, such as law or corporate librarians, typically work normal business hours, but may need to work longer hours to help meet deadlines.
Union Membership
Compared with workers in all occupations, librarians had a higher percentage of workers who belonged to a union in 2014.
Librarians
Median annual wages, May 2015
Librarians
$56,880
Librarians, curators, and archivists
$45,960
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics