Library Assistants, Clerical Salary
Library Assistants, Clericals in El Centro, CA make a median of $43,470 a year, or about $20.9 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.17), that's roughly $45,676 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,362/month, about 45.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $43K actually covers in El Centro, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by El Centro’s Regional Price Parity (95.17). 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 library assistants, clericals
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What this looks like in El Centro
El Centro sits well above the national pay line for library assistants, clerical, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $37K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,362/month, which is 45.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.17) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for library assistants, clericals in metros near El Centro, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $48K | $42K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $63K | $54K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $48K | $45K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $63K | $57K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, El Centro, CA
Entry-level library assistants, clericals (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $43K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Library Assistants, Clerical pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Library Assistants, Clerical salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $59K | +61% | 100 |
| California | $48K | +30% | 11,170 |
| Washington | $48K | +29% | 2,810 |
| Nevada | $47K | +26% | 660 |
| Maryland | $46K | +24% | 730 |
| Alaska | $45K | +21% | 180 |
| Massachusetts | $43K | +15% | 2,840 |
| Oregon | $42K | +15% | 1,090 |
| Minnesota | $40K | +8% | 1,770 |
| New Jersey | $40K | +8% | 3,120 |
| Wisconsin | $40K | +7% | 1,570 |
| Connecticut | $39K | +6% | 1,810 |
| Montana | $39K | +6% | 160 |
| Arizona | $38K | +3% | 1,560 |
| Wyoming | $38K | +3% | N/A |
| Virginia | $38K | +3% | 2,170 |
| Maine | $38K | +3% | 540 |
| Florida | $38K | +3% | 3,630 |
| Tennessee | $37K | +1% | 1,110 |
| New Hampshire | $37K | +1% | 990 |
| Hawaii | $37K | +1% | 370 |
| Delaware | $37K | +0% | 270 |
| Rhode Island | $37K | -1% | 510 |
| Vermont | $36K | -1% | 350 |
| Georgia | $36K | -1% | 610 |
| Colorado | $36K | -2% | 470 |
| New York | $36K | -2% | 8,010 |
| New Mexico | $35K | -4% | 150 |
| Illinois | $35K | -6% | 6,620 |
| North Carolina | $35K | -6% | 1,330 |
| North Dakota | $35K | -6% | 60 |
| Michigan | $35K | -7% | 3,470 |
| South Carolina | $34K | -8% | 960 |
| Idaho | $34K | -8% | 920 |
| Missouri | $34K | -9% | 1,610 |
| Kentucky | $34K | -9% | 1,050 |
| Ohio | $33K | -9% | 5,240 |
| Utah | $33K | -11% | 820 |
| Kansas | $32K | -15% | 1,380 |
| Texas | $31K | -15% | 1,600 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -16% | 390 |
| West Virginia | $31K | -17% | 450 |
| Pennsylvania | $31K | -17% | 3,930 |
| Oklahoma | $30K | -20% | 800 |
| Louisiana | $30K | -20% | 720 |
| Iowa | $29K | -20% | 1,700 |
| Indiana | $29K | -22% | 1,830 |
| Mississippi | $28K | -24% | 440 |
| Nebraska | $28K | -24% | 310 |
| Alabama | $28K | -25% | 900 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track library assistants, clerical salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when El Centro numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a library assistants, clerical afford a 2BR apartment alone in El Centro?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $43K, rent takes 45.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,362/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for library assistants, clericals in El Centro?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new library assistants, clericals typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,566/month. At HUD’s $1,362/month FMR, rent would take 53% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is library assistants, clerical a high-paying job in El Centro?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $43K here vs. $37K nationally.
How does El Centro compare to the national average for library assistants, clericals?
El Centro pays $43K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do library assistants, clericals make in El Centro, CA?
The median is $43,470 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,590, and experienced library assistants, clericals can clear $61,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $43K enough to live in El Centro?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,004/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,362/month, which eats 45.3% 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 library assistants, clerical salary go in El Centro?
El Centro has a Regional Price Parity of 95.17 (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 library assistants, clerical salary is worth about $45,676 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do library assistants, clericals 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.