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Best states for a librarian
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like librarians are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for librarians aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for librarians, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for librarian jobs.
In order to get you the best states for librarians, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Oregon is the best state, and Fairbanks is the city with the highest pay for librarians.
10 best states for librarians in 2026
1. Oregon
Total librarian jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $69,213 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
2. New Jersey
Total librarian jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $66,435 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
3. Washington
Total librarian jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $69,302 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
4. Nebraska
Total librarian jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $60,121 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
5. Alaska
Total librarian jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $73,237 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
6. District of Columbia
Total librarian jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $65,318 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 4.11
7. New York
Total librarian jobs: 31 Average annual salary: $63,152 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
8. Connecticut
Total librarian jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $64,886 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
9. Utah
Total librarian jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $62,176 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
10. North Dakota
Total librarian jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $64,795 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.57
Librarian jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a librarian
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a librarian
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $69,213 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 7 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $66,435 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 21 |
| 3 | Washington | $69,302 | $52,000 | 7,405,743 | 10 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $60,121 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 6 |
| 5 | Alaska | $73,237 | $65,000 | 739,795 | 1 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $65,318 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 13 |
| 7 | New York | $63,152 | $45,000 | 19,849,399 | 31 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $64,886 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 4 |
| 9 | Utah | $62,176 | $44,000 | 3,101,833 | 4 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $64,795 | $51,000 | 755,393 | 1 |
| 11 | California | $64,410 | $43,000 | 39,536,653 | 78 |
| 12 | Illinois | $59,693 | $43,000 | 12,802,023 | 24 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $62,563 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 15 |
| 14 | Maryland | $62,118 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 14 |
| 15 | Michigan | $57,251 | $41,000 | 9,962,311 | 14 |
| 16 | Nevada | $55,890 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 5 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $57,512 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 16 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $54,818 | $41,000 | 1,342,795 | 6 |
| 19 | Maine | $59,715 | $46,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 20 | Virginia | $56,366 | $39,000 | 8,470,020 | 28 |
| 21 | Mississippi | $56,235 | $38,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $57,426 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 7 |
| 23 | Delaware | $59,764 | $42,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $57,137 | $42,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 25 | Iowa | $51,160 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 8 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $54,226 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 5 |
| 27 | Ohio | $52,109 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 10 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $52,342 | $36,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 29 | Kansas | $50,978 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 6 |
| 30 | Montana | $50,065 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 5 |
| 31 | Idaho | $54,165 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 1 |
| 32 | Colorado | $49,899 | $36,000 | 5,607,154 | 30 |
| 33 | Indiana | $51,148 | $36,000 | 6,666,818 | 8 |
| 34 | Vermont | $52,851 | $40,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 35 | Texas | $48,658 | $32,000 | 28,304,596 | 55 |
| 36 | Alabama | $48,454 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 8 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $47,191 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 9 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $50,489 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $53,926 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $45,864 | $31,000 | 2,088,070 | 7 |
| 41 | Georgia | $50,843 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 8 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $50,951 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 3 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $47,369 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 7 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $46,529 | $34,000 | 579,315 | 1 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $47,801 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 2 |
| 46 | Missouri | $49,147 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 4 |
| 47 | Florida | $44,976 | $30,000 | 20,984,400 | 31 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $45,119 | $30,000 | 4,684,333 | 5 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $47,045 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 50 | Arizona | $44,728 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 10 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $43,700 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 1 |
Highest paying states for librarians
| Rank | State | Avg. Librarian Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $69,213 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $66,435 |
| 3 | Washington | $69,302 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $60,121 |
| 5 | Alaska | $73,237 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $65,318 |
| 7 | New York | $63,152 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $64,886 |
| 9 | Utah | $62,176 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $64,795 |
| 11 | California | $64,410 |
| 12 | Illinois | $59,693 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $62,563 |
| 14 | Maryland | $62,118 |
| 15 | Michigan | $57,251 |
| 16 | Nevada | $55,890 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $57,512 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $54,818 |
| 19 | Maine | $59,715 |
| 20 | Virginia | $56,366 |
| 21 | Mississippi | $56,235 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $57,426 |
| 23 | Delaware | $59,764 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $57,137 |
| 25 | Iowa | $51,160 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $54,226 |
| 27 | Ohio | $52,109 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $52,342 |
| 29 | Kansas | $50,978 |
| 30 | Montana | $50,065 |
| 31 | Idaho | $54,165 |
| 32 | Colorado | $49,899 |
| 33 | Indiana | $51,148 |
| 34 | Vermont | $52,851 |
| 35 | Texas | $48,658 |
| 36 | Alabama | $48,454 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $47,191 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $50,489 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $53,926 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $45,864 |
| 41 | Georgia | $50,843 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $50,951 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $47,369 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $46,529 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $47,801 |
| 46 | Missouri | $49,147 |
| 47 | Florida | $44,976 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $45,119 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $47,045 |
| 50 | Arizona | $44,728 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $43,700 |
Librarian best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025