Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Salary
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Colorado Springs, CO make a median of $61,370 a year, or about $29.5 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $93K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.71), that's roughly $60,937 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,474/month, about 35.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $61K actually covers in Colorado Springs, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Colorado Springs’s Regional Price Parity (100.71). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About librarians and media collections specialists
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What this looks like in Colorado Springs
Librarians and media collections specialists pay in Colorado Springs tracks closely to the national median, $61K locally vs. $68K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,474/month, which is 36.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.71) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for librarians and media collections specialists in metros near Colorado Springs, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $80K | $75K |
| Boulder | $82K | $78K |
| Greeley | $62K | $62K |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $70K | $69K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Colorado Springs, CO
Entry-level librarians and media collections specialists (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $93K or more, a $44K spread from bottom to top.
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Librarians and Media Collections Specialists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $100K | +47% | 2,750 |
| District of Columbia | $97K | +41% | 960 |
| California | $90K | +32% | 10,180 |
| Maryland | $89K | +30% | 3,220 |
| Nevada | $85K | +24% | 610 |
| Connecticut | $79K | +16% | 2,550 |
| Alaska | $79K | +15% | 350 |
| New York | $79K | +15% | 11,870 |
| Massachusetts | $79K | +15% | 4,980 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +15% | 4,100 |
| Oregon | $78K | +14% | 1,690 |
| Delaware | $78K | +14% | 370 |
| Minnesota | $78K | +14% | 2,220 |
| Virginia | $77K | +13% | 4,590 |
| Georgia | $77K | +12% | 3,330 |
| Colorado | $76K | +12% | 1,990 |
| Rhode Island | $76K | +11% | 780 |
| Texas | $72K | +5% | 9,150 |
| Hawaii | $68K | +0% | 300 |
| Florida | $67K | -2% | 6,670 |
| Wisconsin | $67K | -2% | 2,450 |
| Kentucky | $65K | -4% | 1,980 |
| Alabama | $65K | -5% | 2,750 |
| Nebraska | $64K | -6% | 1,200 |
| Montana | $64K | -6% | 640 |
| New Hampshire | $64K | -7% | 1,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $63K | -8% | 5,050 |
| North Dakota | $63K | -8% | 570 |
| Illinois | $63K | -8% | 5,390 |
| South Carolina | $63K | -8% | 2,130 |
| New Mexico | $63K | -8% | 580 |
| Vermont | $62K | -9% | 600 |
| Tennessee | $62K | -9% | 2,540 |
| Kansas | $62K | -9% | 1,620 |
| North Carolina | $61K | -10% | 4,010 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -11% | 2,130 |
| Ohio | $61K | -11% | 4,820 |
| Arizona | $61K | -11% | 1,990 |
| Michigan | $60K | -12% | 3,940 |
| Maine | $60K | -13% | 780 |
| Missouri | $59K | -14% | 2,970 |
| Iowa | $58K | -14% | 1,770 |
| Oklahoma | $58K | -15% | 1,820 |
| Mississippi | $57K | -17% | 1,060 |
| Arkansas | $57K | -17% | 1,490 |
| Idaho | $54K | -21% | 650 |
| Utah | $54K | -21% | 1,630 |
| Indiana | $54K | -22% | 1,920 |
| South Dakota | $51K | -25% | 490 |
| Wyoming | $47K | -32% | 440 |
| West Virginia | $43K | -37% | 610 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a librarians and media collections specialist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Colorado Springs?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 36.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,474/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for librarians and media collections specialists in Colorado Springs?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new librarians and media collections specialists typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,271/month. At HUD’s $1,474/month FMR, rent would take 45% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is librarians and media collections specialist a high-paying job in Colorado Springs?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $68K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Colorado Springs compare to the national average for librarians and media collections specialists?
Colorado Springs pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $61K — below the national median.
How much do librarians and media collections specialists make in Colorado Springs, CO?
The median is $61,370 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,000, and experienced librarians and media collections specialists can clear $92,510. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in Colorado Springs?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,054/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,474/month, which eats 36.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a librarians and media collections specialists salary go in Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs has a Regional Price Parity of 100.71 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median librarians and media collections specialists salary is worth about $60,937 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do librarians and media collections specialists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.