Library Assistants, Clerical
SOC 43-4121 · 2024-2034
Compile records, and sort, shelve, issue, and receive library materials such as books, electronic media, pictures, cards, slides and microfilm. Locate library materials for loan and replace material in shelving area, stacks, or files according to identification number and title. Register patrons to permit them to borrow books, periodicals, and other library materials.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -6.1%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $48,992per year
- Projected openings
- 17,410
- Projected change
- -6.1%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $68,003 | 1,180 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $62,048 | 1,320 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $61,750 | 130 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $60,177 | 1,230 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $54,182 | 130 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $52,681 | 110 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $50,341 | 1,280 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $48,967 | 3,790 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $48,022 | 100 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $47,318 | 80 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $47,318 | 250 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $46,956 | 1,050 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $46,592 | 1,020 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $44,151 | 210 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $44,151 | 320 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $41,352 | 1,220 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $41,188 | 620 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $40,953 | 140 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $40,667 | 60 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $40,320 | 230 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $39,258 | 280 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $39,074 | 110 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $38,829 | 300 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $37,664 | 130 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $37,194 | 140 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $37,031 | 70 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $35,601 | 160 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $37,794
- A quarter earn under
- $40,097
- Half earn under
- $48,992
- Three quarters earn under
- $63,058
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $70,438
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library Technicians | $54,751 | 11,870 | -5.6% |
| File Clerks | $50,200 | 8,840 | -13.3% |
| Office Clerks, General | $49,607 | 356,700 | -4.5% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $56,711 | 182,240 | +1.4% |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $138,203 | 59,320 | +11.1% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $43,808 | 565,760 | +15.5% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Library Information Technology Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $860