Best states for a research librarian

Q: What is the best state for research librarians?

The best state to be a research librarian is Pennsylvania based on research librarian salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for research librarians?

The highest paying state for research librarians is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for research librarians?

The worst state for research librarians is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Research librarian opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for research librarians, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for research librarians.Our research found that Pennsylvania is the best state for research librarians, while Alaska and Pennsylvania are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Pennsylvania has a median salary of $62,855 and Alaska has the highest median salary among all 50 states for research librarians.

We figured that the best places for research librarian jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that Pennsylvania is the best state for research librarian jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.

10 best states for research librarians in 2026

1. Pennsylvania
Total research librarian jobs: 1,262
Average annual salary: $62,855
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Research librarian jobs in Pennsylvania
2. New Jersey
Total research librarian jobs: 818
Average annual salary: $61,262
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Research librarian jobs in New Jersey
3. Oregon
Total research librarian jobs: 524
Average annual salary: $59,425
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1.71
Research librarian jobs in Oregon
4. Michigan
Total research librarian jobs: 701
Average annual salary: $57,606
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Research librarian jobs in Michigan
5. Minnesota
Total research librarian jobs: 637
Average annual salary: $56,405
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.3
Research librarian jobs in Minnesota
6. Virginia
Total research librarian jobs: 783
Average annual salary: $59,517
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Research librarian jobs in Virginia
7. Connecticut
Total research librarian jobs: 270
Average annual salary: $60,172
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Research librarian jobs in Connecticut
8. Rhode Island
Total research librarian jobs: 143
Average annual salary: $53,147
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Research librarian jobs in Rhode Island
9. Utah
Total research librarian jobs: 278
Average annual salary: $53,967
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Research librarian jobs in Utah
10. New Hampshire
Total research librarian jobs: 173
Average annual salary: $50,600
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Research librarian jobs in New Hampshire

Research librarian jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a research librarian

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

Detailed list of the best states for a research librarian

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Pennsylvania	$62,855	$42,000	12,805,537	1,262
2	New Jersey	$61,262	$41,000	9,005,644	818
3	Oregon	$59,425	$35,000	4,142,776	524
4	Michigan	$57,606	$39,000	9,962,311	701
5	Minnesota	$56,405	$39,000	5,576,606	637
6	Virginia	$59,517	$38,000	8,470,020	783
7	Connecticut	$60,172	$41,000	3,588,184	270
8	Rhode Island	$53,147	$37,000	1,059,639	143
9	Utah	$53,967	$33,000	3,101,833	278
10	New Hampshire	$50,600	$36,000	1,342,795	173
11	North Dakota	$54,612	$40,000	755,393	60
12	Alaska	$67,530	$57,000	739,795	1
13	Delaware	$54,643	$36,000	961,939	100
14	California	$52,797	$30,000	39,536,653	3,747
15	Nebraska	$51,642	$34,000	1,920,076	179
16	Washington	$57,829	$35,000	7,405,743	2
17	Nevada	$51,354	$30,000	2,998,039	111
18	Vermont	$47,940	$35,000	623,657	93
19	Mississippi	$49,646	$30,000	2,984,100	112
20	District of Columbia	$58,409	$38,000	693,972	12
21	West Virginia	$47,130	$30,000	1,815,857	113
22	Maryland	$56,557	$37,000	6,052,177	9
23	Idaho	$49,393	$30,000	1,716,943	108
24	New York	$55,427	$37,000	19,849,399	26
25	Massachusetts	$54,447	$38,000	6,859,819	12
26	Illinois	$46,814	$31,000	12,802,023	983
27	Indiana	$45,539	$30,000	6,666,818	456
28	North Carolina	$46,391	$29,000	10,273,419	697
29	Wisconsin	$46,346	$31,000	5,795,483	376
30	Tennessee	$41,999	$26,000	6,715,984	523
31	Ohio	$43,501	$28,000	11,658,609	782
32	Texas	$44,148	$26,000	28,304,596	1,545
33	Maine	$43,255	$32,000	1,335,907	109
34	Kansas	$44,089	$28,000	2,913,123	186
35	Georgia	$44,906	$28,000	10,429,379	683
36	Kentucky	$44,503	$28,000	4,454,189	173
37	Iowa	$44,699	$30,000	3,145,711	191
38	Hawaii	$48,931	$41,000	1,427,538	61
39	Missouri	$42,574	$27,000	6,113,532	509
40	South Dakota	$40,217	$27,000	869,666	94
41	Colorado	$41,151	$26,000	5,607,154	578
42	Wyoming	$39,560	$26,000	579,315	54
43	Alabama	$42,612	$26,000	4,874,747	148
44	New Mexico	$39,633	$24,000	2,088,070	184
45	Florida	$40,830	$24,000	20,984,400	1,247
46	Oklahoma	$41,533	$26,000	3,930,864	212
47	South Carolina	$42,829	$26,000	5,024,369	177
48	Montana	$41,294	$27,000	1,050,493	89
49	Arizona	$39,933	$23,000	7,016,270	479
50	Louisiana	$40,200	$24,000	4,684,333	164
51	Arkansas	$38,130	$24,000	3,004,279	122

Highest paying states for research librarians

Rank	State	Avg. Research Librarian Salary
1	Pennsylvania	$62,855
2	New Jersey	$61,262
3	Oregon	$59,425
4	Michigan	$57,606
5	Minnesota	$56,405
6	Virginia	$59,517
7	Connecticut	$60,172
8	Rhode Island	$53,147
9	Utah	$53,967
10	New Hampshire	$50,600
11	North Dakota	$54,612
12	Alaska	$67,530
13	Delaware	$54,643
14	California	$52,797
15	Nebraska	$51,642
16	Washington	$57,829
17	Nevada	$51,354
18	Vermont	$47,940
19	Mississippi	$49,646
20	District of Columbia	$58,409
21	West Virginia	$47,130
22	Maryland	$56,557
23	Idaho	$49,393
24	New York	$55,427
25	Massachusetts	$54,447
26	Illinois	$46,814
27	Indiana	$45,539
28	North Carolina	$46,391
29	Wisconsin	$46,346
30	Tennessee	$41,999
31	Ohio	$43,501
32	Texas	$44,148
33	Maine	$43,255
34	Kansas	$44,089
35	Georgia	$44,906
36	Kentucky	$44,503
37	Iowa	$44,699
38	Hawaii	$48,931
39	Missouri	$42,574
40	South Dakota	$40,217
41	Colorado	$41,151
42	Wyoming	$39,560
43	Alabama	$42,612
44	New Mexico	$39,633
45	Florida	$40,830
46	Oklahoma	$41,533
47	South Carolina	$42,829
48	Montana	$41,294
49	Arizona	$39,933
50	Louisiana	$40,200
51	Arkansas	$38,130

Research librarian best states FAQs

What is the best state for research librarians?

What is the highest paying state for research librarians?

What is the worst state for research librarians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

Search for research librarian jobs

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
Research Librarian
Best states for Research Librarians

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs

Total research librarian jobs:	1,262
Average annual salary:	$62,855
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$42,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$94,000
Location Quotient:	1.47

Best states for a research librarian

10 best states for research librarians in 2026

1. Pennsylvania

2. New Jersey

3. Oregon

4. Michigan

5. Minnesota

6. Virginia

7. Connecticut

8. Rhode Island

9. Utah

10. New Hampshire