Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 43-4121

Library Assistants, Clerical

Median pay sits 37% below the mid peer in Office and Administrative Support Occupations (neighbors include First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers, Proofreaders and Copy Markers, Cargo and Freight Agents, Public Safety Telecommunicators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Library Assistants, Clerical: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers ($70K) , Proofreaders and Copy Markers ($51K) , Cargo and Freight Agents ($52K) , Public Safety Telecommunicators ($53K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Library Assistants, Clerical publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-4121 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Sort books, publications, and other items according to established procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated stora…
  2. 2. Open and close library during specified hours and secure library equipment, such as computers and audio-visual equipment
  3. 3. Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, tape cassettes, Braille volumes, and pictures
  4. 4. Classify and catalog items according to content and purpose
  5. 5. Enter and update patrons' records on computers
  6. 6. Answer routine inquiries and refer patrons in need of professional assistance to librarians
  7. 7. Manage reserve materials by placing items on reserve for library patrons, checking items in and out of library, and removing out-of-date…
  8. 8. Lend, reserve, and collect books, periodicals, videotapes, and other materials at circulation desks and process materials for inter-libra…
  9. 9. Instruct patrons on how to use reference sources, card catalogs, and automated information systems
  10. 10. Inspect returned books for condition and due-date status and compute any applicable fines
  11. 11. Maintain records of items received, stored, issued, and returned and file catalog cards according to system used
  12. 12. Perform clerical activities, such as answering phones, sorting mail, filing, typing, word processing, and photocopying and mailing out ma…

Library Assistants, Clerical: O*NET ranks Service Orientation first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-4121 - lead skill Service Orientation at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Service Orientation 3.4
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.3
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.3
  4. 4. Writing 3.0
  5. 5. Speaking 3.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 3.0
  8. 8. Monitoring 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  2. 2. Administrative 3.7
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.0
  5. 5. Psychology 3.0
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.0
Pay vs Office and Administrative Support Occupations peers
-37%
vs mid peer median $58,260
This role $36,910/yr
$37K
National median
↓ -7%
Growth 2024-2034
12,800
Annual openings
85,520
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
Highest-pay peer · $70K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Library Assistants, Clerical

1. Nevada $46,620
2. Maryland $45,910
3. Minnesota $39,970
4. Massachusetts $42,520
5. New Jersey $39,780
6. Oregon $42,270
7. District of Columbia $59,390
8. Washington $47,540
9. Alaska $44,800
10. California $47,860

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Proofreaders and Copy Markers $51,120
  2. 2. Cargo and Freight Agents $52,260
  3. 3. Public Safety Telecommunicators $53,040
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $69,500
  5. 5. Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $55,570
  6. 6. Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks $58,260

Among Office and Administrative Support Occupations peers on this card, Library Assistants, Clerical sits 37% below the mid peer median ($58,260). Its own median is $36,910.

Employment Projections expect -7% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 12,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Nevada at $46,620. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers at $69,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Library Assistants, Clerical pay-rank #53 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

On the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table (54 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Library Assistants, Clerical lands at #53, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 43-4121 · national median $36,910 · lower third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#53/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Library Assistants, Clerical salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-4121

Nevada · top state for Library Assistants, Clerical

$47K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$46K · behind Nevada

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Library Assistants, Clerical · $70K

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

Lower-pay peer beside Library Assistants, Clerical · $51K

Compare Library Assistants, Clerical

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Library Assistants, Clerical with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Library Assistants, Clerical

Against another occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Library Assistants, Clerical land on the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table? ▼
Library Assistants, Clerical is pay-rank #53 of 54 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Gambling Cage Workers ($38K), Receptionists and Information Clerks ($38K), Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service ($39K), Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks ($35K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do library assistants, clerical do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Library Assistants, Clerical. Leading ones include: Sort books, publications, and other items according to established procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated stora…; Open and close library during specified hours and secure library equipment, such as computers and audio-visual equipment; Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, tape cassettes, Braille volumes, and pictures; Classify and catalog items according to content and purpose. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for library assistants, clerical? ▼
For SOC 43-4121, O*NET importance scores lead with Service Orientation (3.4), Reading Comprehension (3.3), Active Listening (3.3), Writing (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Library Assistants, Clerical? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $36,910 as the national median for Library Assistants, Clerical. The published 10th-90th range is $27,730 to $55,310. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers ($69,500), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Library Assistants, Clerical? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Library Assistants, Clerical is -7%. Projected annual openings: about 12,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Library Assistants, Clerical? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Library Assistants, Clerical. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Library Assistants, Clerical? ▼
Nevada ($46,620), Maryland ($45,910), Minnesota ($39,970) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Library Assistants, Clerical card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-4121. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Library Assistants, Clerical. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics