Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Salary
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH make a median of $60,800 a year, or about $29.23 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.42), which stretches that salary to about $68,763 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $973/month, or 24.4% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $61K actually covers in Huntington-Ashland, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Huntington-Ashland’s Regional Price Parity (88.42). 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 Huntington-Ashland
Pay for librarians and media collections specialists in Huntington-Ashland runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $68K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $973/month, 24% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.42 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Lower pay, lower costs, Huntington-Ashland can be a reasonable trade-off for librarians and media collections specialists who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for librarians and media collections specialists in metros near Huntington-Ashland, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | $51K | $57K |
| Morgantown | $61K | $65K |
| Wheeling | $44K | $49K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $77K | $75K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Entry-level librarians and media collections specialists (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $34K 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 Huntington-Ashland?
Yes — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 24% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $973/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for librarians and media collections specialists in Huntington-Ashland?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new librarians and media collections specialists typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,767/month. At HUD’s $973/month FMR, rent would take 35% 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 Huntington-Ashland?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $61K here vs. $68K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Huntington-Ashland compare to the national average for librarians and media collections specialists?
Huntington-Ashland pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $69K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do librarians and media collections specialists make in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH?
The median is $60,800 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,350, and experienced librarians and media collections specialists can clear $74,580. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in Huntington-Ashland?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,056/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $973/month, which eats 24% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a librarians and media collections specialists salary go in Huntington-Ashland?
Huntington-Ashland has a Regional Price Parity of 88.42 (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 $68,763 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.