Best states for a library specialist

Q: What is the best state for library specialists?

The best state to be a library specialist is Alaska based on library specialist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for library specialists?

The highest paying state for library specialists is Texas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for library specialists?

The worst state for library specialists is Missouri, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Rene Burress Ph.D.

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Library specialist opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for library specialists, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for library specialists.Although there are abundant library specialist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Alaska is the best state in the country for library specialist jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for library specialists. Alaska is the best state for library specialists, where the median salary is $44,446.We found that Alaska is the best state for library specialist jobs, whereas Missouri is the worst.

10 best states for library specialists in 2026

1. Alaska
Total library specialist jobs: 43
Average annual salary: $44,446
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Library specialist jobs in Alaska
2. North Dakota
Total library specialist jobs: 36
Average annual salary: $42,772
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Library specialist jobs in North Dakota
3. New York
Total library specialist jobs: 493
Average annual salary: $43,513
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Library specialist jobs in New York
4. Delaware
Total library specialist jobs: 64
Average annual salary: $38,387
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Location Quotient:
1.39
Library specialist jobs in Delaware
5. Washington
Total library specialist jobs: 238
Average annual salary: $46,484
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Library specialist jobs in Washington
6. Vermont
Total library specialist jobs: 30
Average annual salary: $40,584
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Library specialist jobs in Vermont
7. Massachusetts
Total library specialist jobs: 309
Average annual salary: $43,757
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Library specialist jobs in Massachusetts
8. Nevada
Total library specialist jobs: 85
Average annual salary: $37,771
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Library specialist jobs in Nevada
9. Minnesota
Total library specialist jobs: 172
Average annual salary: $43,817
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Library specialist jobs in Minnesota
10. Montana
Total library specialist jobs: 43
Average annual salary: $39,699
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Library specialist jobs in Montana

Library specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a library specialist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a library specialist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$44,446	$37,000	739,795	43
2	North Dakota	$42,772	$33,000	755,393	36
3	New York	$43,513	$31,000	19,849,399	493
4	Delaware	$38,387	$27,000	961,939	64
5	Washington	$46,484	$35,000	7,405,743	238
6	Vermont	$40,584	$31,000	623,657	30
7	Massachusetts	$43,757	$33,000	6,859,819	309
8	Nevada	$37,771	$27,000	2,998,039	85
9	Minnesota	$43,817	$33,000	5,576,606	172
10	Montana	$39,699	$30,000	1,050,493	43
11	New Hampshire	$40,551	$31,000	1,342,795	57
12	California	$45,206	$31,000	39,536,653	928
13	Rhode Island	$40,249	$30,000	1,059,639	38
14	Wyoming	$34,070	$25,000	579,315	41
15	Nebraska	$34,682	$26,000	1,920,076	99
16	Connecticut	$39,896	$29,000	3,588,184	110
17	South Dakota	$37,666	$28,000	869,666	35
18	District of Columbia	$37,504	$26,000	693,972	78
19	Iowa	$33,212	$25,000	3,145,711	227
20	West Virginia	$34,154	$24,000	1,815,857	58
21	Maine	$39,293	$30,000	1,335,907	34
22	Oklahoma	$33,878	$25,000	3,930,864	118
23	Colorado	$34,723	$26,000	5,607,154	223
24	Kansas	$32,772	$24,000	2,913,123	124
25	Illinois	$35,756	$26,000	12,802,023	419
26	Maryland	$35,657	$25,000	6,052,177	243
27	Idaho	$32,415	$24,000	1,716,943	69
28	Oregon	$34,664	$25,000	4,142,776	149
29	Wisconsin	$33,212	$25,000	5,795,483	197
30	Utah	$33,337	$24,000	3,101,833	117
31	Pennsylvania	$32,734	$23,000	12,805,537	425
32	Michigan	$33,027	$24,000	9,962,311	266
33	Hawaii	$31,529	$25,000	1,427,538	65
34	Arizona	$30,504	$22,000	7,016,270	268
35	Louisiana	$30,559	$22,000	4,684,333	131
36	New Jersey	$33,947	$24,000	9,005,644	245
37	Florida	$28,597	$20,000	20,984,400	796
38	Virginia	$31,315	$22,000	8,470,020	347
39	North Carolina	$28,331	$20,000	10,273,419	383
40	Indiana	$29,434	$21,000	6,666,818	239
41	Alabama	$27,514	$20,000	4,874,747	170
42	Ohio	$31,123	$22,000	11,658,609	311
43	Arkansas	$25,901	$19,000	3,004,279	107
44	Tennessee	$27,865	$20,000	6,715,984	198
45	Mississippi	$30,121	$22,000	2,984,100	51
46	Georgia	$26,325	$19,000	10,429,379	413
47	South Carolina	$27,648	$20,000	5,024,369	130
48	Texas	$24,149	$17,000	28,304,596	745
49	New Mexico	$26,845	$19,000	2,088,070	63
50	Kentucky	$26,425	$19,000	4,454,189	109
51	Missouri	$26,311	$19,000	6,113,532	182

Highest paying states for library specialists

Rank	State	Avg. Library Specialist Salary
1	Alaska	$44,446
2	North Dakota	$42,772
3	New York	$43,513
4	Delaware	$38,387
5	Washington	$46,484
6	Vermont	$40,584
7	Massachusetts	$43,757
8	Nevada	$37,771
9	Minnesota	$43,817
10	Montana	$39,699
11	New Hampshire	$40,551
12	California	$45,206
13	Rhode Island	$40,249
14	Wyoming	$34,070
15	Nebraska	$34,682
16	Connecticut	$39,896
17	South Dakota	$37,666
18	District of Columbia	$37,504
19	Iowa	$33,212
20	West Virginia	$34,154
21	Maine	$39,293
22	Oklahoma	$33,878
23	Colorado	$34,723
24	Kansas	$32,772
25	Illinois	$35,756
26	Maryland	$35,657
27	Idaho	$32,415
28	Oregon	$34,664
29	Wisconsin	$33,212
30	Utah	$33,337
31	Pennsylvania	$32,734
32	Michigan	$33,027
33	Hawaii	$31,529
34	Arizona	$30,504
35	Louisiana	$30,559
36	New Jersey	$33,947
37	Florida	$28,597
38	Virginia	$31,315
39	North Carolina	$28,331
40	Indiana	$29,434
41	Alabama	$27,514
42	Ohio	$31,123
43	Arkansas	$25,901
44	Tennessee	$27,865
45	Mississippi	$30,121
46	Georgia	$26,325
47	South Carolina	$27,648
48	Texas	$24,149
49	New Mexico	$26,845
50	Kentucky	$26,425
51	Missouri	$26,311

Expert opinions on the best states for library specialists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for library specialists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rene Burress Ph.D.
Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator, University of Central Missouri
Librarians are needed in all 50 states, in nearly every K-12 school, every university, and every community has a library. Bigger cities have more frequent opportunities, but there are regular openings for librarian jobs in every state, even in very small towns. I have received emails from library board directors of small towns begging for applicants.

Library specialist best states FAQs

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Search for library specialist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total library specialist jobs:	43
Average annual salary:	$44,446
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$37,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$52,000
Location Quotient:	1.4

Best states for a library specialist

10 best states for library specialists in 2026

1. Alaska

2. North Dakota

3. New York

4. Delaware

5. Washington

6. Vermont

7. Massachusetts

8. Nevada

9. Minnesota

10. Montana