Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 25-4031

Library Technicians

Median pay sits 55% below the mid peer in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations (neighbors include Law Teachers, Postsecondary, Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary, Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Library Technicians: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($97K) , Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($98K) , Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary ($109K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Library Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-4031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials
  2. 2. Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary
  3. 3. Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resourc…
  4. 4. Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart
  5. 5. Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections
  6. 6. Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other desig…
  7. 7. Enter and update patrons' records on computers
  8. 8. Issue identification cards to borrowers
  9. 9. Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects
  10. 10. Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment
  11. 11. Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons
  12. 12. Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems

Library Technicians: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-4031 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.3
  3. 3. Speaking 3.3
  4. 4. Service Orientation 3.1
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.0
  6. 6. Learning Strategies 3.0
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.0
  8. 8. Coordination 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.1
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Administrative 3.4
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.3
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.2
  6. 6. Communications and Media 2.8
Pay vs Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers
-55%
vs mid peer median $99,650
This role $44,580/yr
$45K
National median
↓ -7%
Growth 2024-2034
13,000
Annual openings
68,690
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Top Paying States for Library Technicians

1. Connecticut $57,060
2. California $53,260
3. Massachusetts $50,430
4. Minnesota $51,110
5. Oregon $49,970
6. Vermont $50,090
7. New York $50,060
8. Hawaii $50,870
9. Washington $62,570
10. District of Columbia $61,040

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary $98,070
  2. 2. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
  3. 3. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
  4. 4. Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,080
  5. 5. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  6. 6. Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $103,170

Among Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers on this card, Library Technicians sits 55% below the mid peer median ($99,650). Its own median is $44,580.

Employment Projections expect -7% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 13,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award 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: Connecticut at $57,060. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Library Technicians pay-rank #59 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Library Technicians lands at #59, 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 25-4031 · national median $44,580 · lower third of Educational Instruction and Library Occupations (#59/64). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Library Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-4031

Connecticut · top state for Library Technicians

$57K published median

California · #2 state pay

$53K · behind Connecticut

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Library Technicians · $129K

Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Library Technicians · $97K

Compare Library Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Library Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Library Technicians

Against another occupation

Law Teachers, Postsecondary card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Library Technicians land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Library Technicians is pay-rank #59 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Tutors ($43K), Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary ($43K), Self-Enrichment Teachers ($47K), Substitute Teachers, Short-Term ($42K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do library technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Library Technicians. Leading ones include: Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials; Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary; Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resourc…; Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for library technicians? ▼
For SOC 25-4031, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.4), Active Listening (3.3), Speaking (3.3), Service Orientation (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Library Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $44,580 as the national median for Library Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $29,300 to $63,080. Beside Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($128,500), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Library Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Library Technicians is -7%. Projected annual openings: about 13,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Library Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Library Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Library Technicians? ▼
Connecticut ($57,060), California ($53,260), Massachusetts ($50,430) 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 Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-4031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Library Technicians. 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