Public Library

Public Library Salary

$30.5K

$60K

$102K

$64,190

/year

$30.86

/hour

Public Library Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$64,190

Columbus

Ohio

$62,001

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    How much does a Public Library make?

    As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Public Library in the United States is $64,190 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $30.86 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,234/week or $5,349/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $102,000 and as low as $30,500, the majority of Public Library salaries currently range between $49,500 (25th percentile) to $78,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $93,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Public Library varies greatly (by as much as 28500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Public Library in your area makes on average $62,001 per year, or $2,189 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $64,190. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Public Library salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Public Library jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Public Library on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Public Library Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Public Library job is above the national average. Topping the list is Ashland, CA, , with Scotts Valley, CA, and Barrow, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Barrow, AK, beats the national average by $15,776 (24.6%), and Ashland, CA, furthers that trend with another $20,180 (31.4%) above the $64,190 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Public Library appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Ashland, CA, and Pennington County, SD, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Public Library role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Ashland, CA

    $84,370

    $40.56

    Scotts Valley, CA

    $83,068

    $39.94

    Barrow, AK

    $79,966

    $38.45

    Nome, AK

    $79,628

    $38.28

    Cupertino, CA

    $79,194

    $38.07

    Bellport, NY

    $78,605

    $37.79

    Redwood City, CA

    $78,591

    $37.78

    Deer Park, CA

    $78,531

    $37.76

    Berkeley, CA

    $78,254

    $37.62

    Pennington County, SD

    $78,047

    $37.52

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Public Library Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Public Library category.

    For example Chicago Public Library jobs pay as much as $8,793 (13.7%) more than the average Public Library salary of $64,190. If you're qualified, finding work as a Chicago Public Library may help you make more money than that of the average Public Library position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Chicago Public Library

    $72,983

    $35.09

    Library Archivist

    $72,781

    $34.99

    School Librarian Assistant

    $55,171

    $26.52

    Human Rights

    $44,245

    $21.27

    Library Clerk

    $34,808

    $16.73

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Public Library salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $64,190 per year or $30.86 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.