PublicPay

Librarian federal salary series 1410

Full-time federal employees in the Librarian series earned a median of $126,313 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 15% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $105,829 and $146,747.

Median pay
$126,313
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$105,829–$146,747
25th–75th percentile
Employees
667
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Librarian
All federal (full-time)

What shapes librarian pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-11 (164 employees, median $94,370). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (61 employees). Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 41% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Librarian pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Librarian pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 164 $94,370 $91,145–$99,550
GS-12 156 $119,485 $112,549–$129,351
GS-13 110 $142,084 $133,964–$150,203
GS-14 41 $172,700 $165,758–$179,896

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Librarian pay by agency

Librarian pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 61 $98,494 $89,618–$114,987
Department of Health and Human Services 54 $133,142 $123,052–$158,322
Government Publishing Office 46 $126,079 $109,243–$138,024
Smithsonian Institution 40 $109,023 $93,994–$133,142
Department of Commerce 32 $142,084 $125,115–$173,118

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Librarian pay by state

The 2 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Librarian pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 172 $133,964 $116,071–$154,263
Maryland 80 $139,399 $126,079–$172,700

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare librarian pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.1% from $124,984 in September 2025 to $126,313 in September 2026. Headcount went from 777 to 667 (−14.2%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

Related occupations in Library and Archives Group