Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Maine
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$47,321
after federal, FICA and Maine tax
Tax takes
$12,219
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$48,736
Maine costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maine — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$59,540
Kept after tax
$47,321
Worth in national money
$48,736
State rank
40
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Maine pays this job a middle wage of $59,540, 40 of 51 states and about 12.79% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Maine reports figures for, this is number 247.
- No great distortion either way. Maine costs about what the country costs, so from $59,540, take-home of $47,321 is worth roughly $48,736 in national money. The average comes to $60,770, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Maine's $59,540 median for librarians and media collections specialists places it 40 of 51 states, about 12.79% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- In Maine's occupational distribution, librarians and media collections specialists sits at 247 of 484 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Price parity in Maine is near the national base, so for librarians and media collections specialists, whose median is $59,540, the adjusted figure of $48,736 differs little from $47,321 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $60,770 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,580 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,540 |
| Top tenth earn over | $83,640 |
| This salary | $59,540 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Maine | $47,321 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,020 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,738 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $56,181 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,312 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $59,540 as a midpoint for Maine, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $36,580 and the ninetieth is $83,640 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Maine the take-home figure of $47,321, from $59,540, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 247 of 484 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $48,736 uses one figure for the whole of Maine. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 484 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 247.
- The Maine median of $59,540 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $36,580 to $83,640. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Maine is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $47,321 from $59,540. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 247 of 484 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $48,736, worked from $59,540, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Maine address, on work sitting at 247 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $36,580 at the bottom tenth to $83,640 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $48,736.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Maine then takes its own share, leaving $47,321.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($36,580) and the ninetieth ($83,640) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Maine's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $48,736 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $47,321 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maine income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.