Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Salary
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Dover, DE make a median of $75,880 a year, or about $36.48 an hour. The range runs from $54K at the entry level to $92K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.51), that's roughly $77,818 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,470/month, or 29.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $76K get you in Dover?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Dover’s Regional Price Parity (97.51). 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 Dover
Dover sits well above the national pay line for librarians and media collections specialists, local pay runs about 11% higher than the U.S. median of $68K. Rent runs $1,470/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30.4% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.51) 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 Dover, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $77K | $75K |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | $83K | $80K |
| Pittsburgh | $61K | $64K |
| Trenton-Princeton | $82K | $80K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Dover, DE
Entry-level librarians and media collections specialists (10th percentile) start around $54K. Mid-career wages sit at $76K. Top earners bring in $92K or more, a $37K 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)
Track librarians and media collections specialists salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a librarians and media collections specialist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Dover?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 30.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,470/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/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 Dover?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new librarians and media collections specialists typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,245/month. At HUD’s $1,470/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 Dover?
Local pay is 11% above the national median — $76K here vs. $68K nationally.
How does Dover compare to the national average for librarians and media collections specialists?
Dover pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s +11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $78K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do librarians and media collections specialists make in Dover, DE?
The median is $75,880 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,080, and experienced librarians and media collections specialists can clear $91,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $76K enough to live in Dover?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,834/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,470/month, which eats 30.4% 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 Dover?
Dover has a Regional Price Parity of 97.51 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median librarians and media collections specialists salary is worth about $77,818 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.