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Best states for a school librarian
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and education, training, and library careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to school librarian jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for school librarians.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for school librarians. We found that Connecticut is the best state in the nation for school librarians, and people in Fairbanks earn the most in the field.
In order to get you the best states for school librarians, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Connecticut is the best state, and Fairbanks is the city with the highest pay for school librarians.
10 best states for school librarians in 2026
1. Connecticut
Total school librarian jobs: 262 Average annual salary: $60,878 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 2.51
2. Alaska
Total school librarian jobs: 44 Average annual salary: $69,983 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
3. New Jersey
Total school librarian jobs: 365 Average annual salary: $61,657 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
4. Oregon
Total school librarian jobs: 242 Average annual salary: $60,056 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.86
5. Pennsylvania
Total school librarian jobs: 387 Average annual salary: $63,176 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
6. Michigan
Total school librarian jobs: 347 Average annual salary: $57,909 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
7. Rhode Island
Total school librarian jobs: 68 Average annual salary: $54,032 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
8. Minnesota
Total school librarian jobs: 253 Average annual salary: $56,865 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
9. Massachusetts
Total school librarian jobs: 211 Average annual salary: $61,123 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
10. Washington
Total school librarian jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $60,055 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
School librarian jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a school librarian
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a school librarian
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $60,878 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 262 |
| 2 | Alaska | $69,983 | $59,000 | 739,795 | 44 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $61,657 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 365 |
| 4 | Oregon | $60,056 | $34,000 | 4,142,776 | 242 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $63,176 | $41,000 | 12,805,537 | 387 |
| 6 | Michigan | $57,909 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 347 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $54,032 | $37,000 | 1,059,639 | 68 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $56,865 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 253 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $61,123 | $42,000 | 6,859,819 | 211 |
| 10 | Washington | $60,055 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 191 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $51,795 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 115 |
| 12 | Delaware | $54,978 | $35,000 | 961,939 | 48 |
| 13 | Virginia | $59,894 | $38,000 | 8,470,020 | 172 |
| 14 | Maryland | $57,024 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 226 |
| 15 | Nevada | $50,409 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 91 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $58,838 | $37,000 | 693,972 | 54 |
| 17 | California | $57,997 | $32,000 | 39,536,653 | 780 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $55,487 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 12 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $51,985 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 111 |
| 20 | Illinois | $46,526 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 815 |
| 21 | Vermont | $49,316 | $35,000 | 623,657 | 29 |
| 22 | Idaho | $45,337 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 70 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $49,544 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 50 |
| 24 | Utah | $52,663 | $31,000 | 3,101,833 | 33 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $48,032 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 50 |
| 26 | Ohio | $47,289 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 247 |
| 27 | New York | $48,057 | $32,000 | 19,849,399 | 532 |
| 28 | Indiana | $45,100 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 190 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $47,183 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 19 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $46,202 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 184 |
| 31 | Kansas | $42,400 | $26,000 | 2,913,123 | 121 |
| 32 | Maine | $44,428 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 45 |
| 33 | Iowa | $43,795 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 92 |
| 34 | Montana | $41,282 | $26,000 | 1,050,493 | 77 |
| 35 | Missouri | $41,239 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 285 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $43,941 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 53 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $42,337 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 109 |
| 38 | Arizona | $38,630 | $22,000 | 7,016,270 | 293 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $38,421 | $24,000 | 579,315 | 30 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $39,757 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 125 |
| 41 | Georgia | $44,033 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 135 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $38,186 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 82 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $47,935 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $39,006 | $22,000 | 4,684,333 | 111 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $41,153 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 100 |
| 46 | Alabama | $41,469 | $25,000 | 4,874,747 | 54 |
| 47 | Colorado | $39,639 | $24,000 | 5,607,154 | 242 |
| 48 | Texas | $38,722 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 472 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $39,724 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 13 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $36,776 | $22,000 | 3,004,279 | 53 |
| 51 | Florida | $38,309 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 284 |
Highest paying states for school librarians
| Rank | State | Avg. School Librarian Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $60,878 |
| 2 | Alaska | $69,983 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $61,657 |
| 4 | Oregon | $60,056 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $63,176 |
| 6 | Michigan | $57,909 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $54,032 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $56,865 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $61,123 |
| 10 | Washington | $60,055 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $51,795 |
| 12 | Delaware | $54,978 |
| 13 | Virginia | $59,894 |
| 14 | Maryland | $57,024 |
| 15 | Nevada | $50,409 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $58,838 |
| 17 | California | $57,997 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $55,487 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $51,985 |
| 20 | Illinois | $46,526 |
| 21 | Vermont | $49,316 |
| 22 | Idaho | $45,337 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $49,544 |
| 24 | Utah | $52,663 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $48,032 |
| 26 | Ohio | $47,289 |
| 27 | New York | $48,057 |
| 28 | Indiana | $45,100 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $47,183 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $46,202 |
| 31 | Kansas | $42,400 |
| 32 | Maine | $44,428 |
| 33 | Iowa | $43,795 |
| 34 | Montana | $41,282 |
| 35 | Missouri | $41,239 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $43,941 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $42,337 |
| 38 | Arizona | $38,630 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $38,421 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $39,757 |
| 41 | Georgia | $44,033 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $38,186 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $47,935 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $39,006 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $41,153 |
| 46 | Alabama | $41,469 |
| 47 | Colorado | $39,639 |
| 48 | Texas | $38,722 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $39,724 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $36,776 |
| 51 | Florida | $38,309 |
School librarian best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025