U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Librarian
Role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)
Librarian
Manage collections and information services and help patrons with research and access.
523 people hold the Librarian role across 38 departments in U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), with a median total compensation of $119,187. Among 32 jurisdictions where this role is reported, U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) ranks #4 by median pay.
- Employees
- 523
- Median pay
- $119,187
- Departments
- 38
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #4 of 32
Compared with the local labor market
Librarian pay vs. the United States
Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists — about 133,790 people — is $68,270. U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) pays a median base salary of $119,037 for this role, 74% above that figure — above the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
Median total compensation for this role at U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) is $119,187, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Librarian pay in other jurisdictions
Where Librarians are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Librarianroles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)
Departments with this role
Largest U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments for this role
Departments in U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)employing the most people in this role. Each bar links to that department’s page for the role.