Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Cataloger salary
Average cataloger salary
$16.8
Average Cataloger Salary
The average salary for a Cataloger in the United States stands at $34,943 annually. Factors affecting this figure include geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry of employment. For instance, catalogers in metropolitan areas often earn more due to the higher cost of living.
Where Can a Cataloger Earn More?
Catalogers in states like California, New York, and Texas typically report higher salaries. These regions offer numerous opportunities in libraries, museums, and corporate sectors. Additionally, industries such as healthcare and technology often provide competitive compensation due to the specialized skills required.
Career Advancement
To enhance earning potential, catalogers may consider pursuing advanced degrees or certifications. Roles such as Cataloging Manager or Metadata Librarian often command higher salaries and offer more responsibilities.
Conclusion
Understanding the salary landscape is crucial for those pursuing a career as a cataloger. By evaluating various factors, job seekers can make informed decisions regarding their career paths.
Let Zippi find your next cataloger job
Let Zippi find your next cataloger job
Where can a Cataloger earn more?
Cataloger salary estimates from across the web
Average cataloger salary by state
The average cataloger salary in Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average cataloger salary states are Arizona, Louisiana, and Colorado.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for catalogers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $41,010 | $19.72 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $39,997 | $19.23 |
| 3 | Michigan | $38,778 | $18.64 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $40,070 | $19.26 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $40,417 | $19.43 |
| 6 | Alaska | $43,253 | $20.79 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $40,363 | $19.41 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $35,579 | $17.11 |
| 9 | New York | $37,359 | $17.96 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $37,946 | $18.24 |
| 11 | Delaware | $35,216 | $16.93 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | $35,863 | $17.24 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $36,916 | $17.75 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $36,192 | $17.40 |
| 15 | Virginia | $36,605 | $17.60 |
| 16 | Vermont | $34,894 | $16.78 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $32,961 | $15.85 |
| 18 | Maryland | $35,977 | $17.30 |
| 19 | California | $34,798 | $16.73 |
| 20 | Illinois | $31,420 | $15.11 |
| 21 | Maine | $31,660 | $15.22 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $29,764 | $14.31 |
| 23 | Utah | $30,083 | $14.46 |
| 24 | Indiana | $29,737 | $14.30 |
| 25 | Iowa | $30,125 | $14.48 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $29,607 | $14.23 |
| 27 | Nevada | $28,774 | $13.83 |
| 28 | Ohio | $28,248 | $13.58 |
| 29 | Oregon | $28,966 | $13.93 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $32,052 | $15.41 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $27,847 | $13.39 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $27,419 | $13.18 |
| 33 | Idaho | $26,603 | $12.79 |
| 34 | Texas | $26,800 | $12.88 |
| 35 | Washington | $28,963 | $13.92 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $27,457 | $13.20 |
| 37 | Kansas | $27,094 | $13.03 |
| 38 | Georgia | $26,708 | $12.84 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $25,364 | $12.19 |
| 40 | Missouri | $26,529 | $12.75 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $24,741 | $11.89 |
| 42 | Montana | $25,161 | $12.10 |
| 43 | Alabama | $25,448 | $12.23 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $25,117 | $12.08 |
| 45 | Arizona | $24,571 | $11.81 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $24,226 | $11.65 |
| 47 | Colorado | $24,069 | $11.57 |
| 48 | Florida | $24,755 | $11.90 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $22,929 | $11.02 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $23,533 | $11.31 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $23,378 | $11.24 |
Highest paying cities for catalogers
The highest-paying cities for catalogers are New Haven, CT, Minneapolis, MN, and McLean, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven, CT | $40,482 | $19.46 |
| 2 | Minneapolis, MN | $40,126 | $19.29 |
| 3 | McLean, VA | $38,779 | $18.64 |
| 4 | Cambridge, MA | $37,895 | $18.22 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $36,928 | $17.75 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $35,286 | $16.96 |
| 7 | Fort Wayne, IN | $31,255 | $15.03 |
| 8 | Draper, UT | $30,008 | $14.43 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $29,004 | $13.94 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | $28,995 | $13.94 |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | $28,808 | $13.85 |
| 12 | Athens, OH | $27,329 | $13.14 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $27,121 | $13.04 |
| 14 | Asheville, NC | $26,587 | $12.78 |
| 15 | La Vergne, TN | $25,470 | $12.25 |
| 16 | Glendale, AZ | $24,584 | $11.82 |
| 17 | Gainesville, FL | $24,269 | $11.67 |
| 18 | Aurora, CO | $24,104 | $11.59 |
Cataloger salary details
A cataloger's salary ranges from $23,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $52,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a cataloger's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
| 75th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| Average | $34,943 | $2,912 | $17 |
| 25th Percentile | $28,000 | $2,333 | $13 |
| 10th Percentile | $23,000 | $1,917 | $11 |
Highest paying cataloger jobs
The highest paying types of catalogers are circulation director, library manager, and collection management librarian.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction Librarian | $50,234 | $4,186 | $24.15 | 1,276 |
| Reference Librarian | $50,409 | $4,201 | $24.23 | 1,058 |
| Youth Services Librarian | $49,971 | $4,164 | $24.02 | 55,418 |
| Children's Librarian | $49,900 | $4,158 | $23.99 | 9,834 |
| Technical Services Librarian | $50,657 | $4,221 | $24.35 | 118,696 |
| Librarian | $53,096 | $4,425 | $25.53 | 1,264 |
Which companies pay catalogers the most?
Cataloger salaries at Harvard University and StorageCraft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average cataloger salary at companies like Yale University and Princeton University are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | $84,829 | $40.78 |
| 2 | StorageCraft | $78,139 | $37.57 |
| 3 | Yale University | $71,060 | $34.16 |
| 4 | Princeton University | $64,064 | $30.80 |
| 5 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | $50,669 | $24.36 |
| 6 | BAE Systems | $48,981 | $23.55 |
| 7 | Target | $40,137 | $19.30 |
| 8 | Amazon | $38,623 | $18.57 |
| 9 | MORI Associates | $38,582 | $18.55 |
| 10 | Buncombe County Government | $38,027 | $18.28 |
| 11 | University of Virginia | $37,246 | $17.91 |
| 12 | Goodreads | $36,634 | $17.61 |
| 13 | Neubus | $36,394 | $17.50 |
| 14 | The Book Arts Press Inc | $36,176 | $17.39 |
| 15 | Everything But The House (ebth) | $36,045 | $17.33 |
| 16 | Househappy | $36,045 | $17.33 |
| 17 | Viagogo | $35,421 | $17.03 |
| 18 | Ingram Book Group Inc | $31,090 | $14.95 |
| 19 | Baker & Taylor | $31,028 | $14.92 |
| 20 | University of Florida | $29,708 | $14.28 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Cataloger salary by industry
The average cataloger salary varies across industries:
- The average cataloger salary in the education industry is $40,571, the highest of any industry.
- The average cataloger salary in the finance industry is $35,848.
- Catalogers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $30,922, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for catalogers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education | $40,571 | $19.51 |
| 2 | Government | $35,848 | $17.23 |
| 3 | Non Profits | $35,216 | $16.93 |
| 4 | Start-up | $33,559 | $16.13 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $30,924 | $14.87 |
| 6 | Retail | $30,922 | $14.87 |
High paying cataloger jobs
Cataloger salary trends
The average cataloger salary has risen by $4,047 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average cataloger earned $30,896 annually, but today, they earn $34,943 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for catalogers over the last decade.
Compare cataloger salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average cataloger salary over time
Compare cataloger salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Cataloger salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,900 | $16.80 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $33,700 | $16.19 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $33,000 | $15.86 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $32,700 | $15.72 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $32,200 | $15.49 | +1.4% |
Recently added cataloger salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Heartland Library System | Share Cataloger | Carbondale, IL | 06/27/2025 | $44,749 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Art Cataloger, The Harry Ransom Center | Austin, TX | 06/24/2025 | $55,000 |
| eBay Inc. | Cataloger | Runnemede, NJ | 06/11/2025 | $34,800 |
| eBay Inc. | Cataloger | Runnemede, NJ | 05/30/2025 | $34,800 |
| University at Albany | Physical Materials Cataloging and Metadata Libr. | Albany, NY | 04/26/2025 | $65,000 |
| Corestaff Services | Cataloger | Washington, DC | 04/04/2025 | $66,784 |
| Amherst College | Project Cataloger (Casual Position) | Amherst, NY | 03/27/2025 | $45,914 |
| Amherst College | Project Cataloger (Casual Position) | Amherst, MA | 03/27/2025 | $45,914 |
| Us Bank | Servicenow Request Catalog Operations | Gresham, OR | 03/26/2025 | $105,400 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Senior Cataloger | Los Angeles, CA | 03/21/2025 | $67,222 |
Cataloger salary FAQs
Search for cataloger jobs