What does it cost to hire a library assistant in St. Louis?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $33,900 median wage in the St. Louis, MO-IL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $6,780 to $10,170 on the first year salary alone.

Hiring a library assistant in St. Louis, MO

Employers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area pay library assistants, clerical a median of $33,900 a year, with the middle half of the market between $31,200 and $37,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-4121). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do St. Louis residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area pay?

St. Louis residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $38,978 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $47,360 as the median of the 50 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the St. Louis, MO-IL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 18%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the St. Louis, MO-IL area the group covers 50 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from library assistants, clerical at $33,900 to first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers at $68,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 50 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what St. Louis residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a library assistant earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to library assistants, clerical by employers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-4121.
25th percentile	$31,200
Median	$33,900
75th percentile	$37,120

Half of library assistants, clerical in this area earn between $31,200 and $37,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $31,200 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 43-4121 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What St. Louis residents earn

$38,978

Median annual earnings of St. Louis residents working in office and administrative support occupations, 15,064 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Sort books, publications, and other items according to established procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
Open and close library during specified hours and secure library equipment, such as computers and audio-visual equipment.
Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, tape cassettes, Braille volumes, and pictures.
Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
Answer routine inquiries and refer patrons in need of professional assistance to librarians.

Task statements for SOC 43-4121, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, C++, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 43-4121 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in St. Louis?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-4121.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 40.2% of St. Louis adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of St. Louis aged 25 and over.

The average St. Louis commute runs 22.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 15% of St. Louis workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for St. Louis.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In St. Louis city, administrative and support services employs 10,522 and turns over 14.2% a quarter, with 3,324 hires against 3,486 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $3,576 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 56.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about library assistants, clerical. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $33,900 median in the St. Louis, MO-IL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $6,780 to $10,170 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a library assistant in St. Louis

What does it cost to hire a library assistant in St. Louis?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $33,900 median wage in the St. Louis, MO-IL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $6,780 to $10,170 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a library assistant in St. Louis look like?: Employers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area pay library assistants, clerical a median of $33,900, with the middle half of the market between $31,200 and $37,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $31,200 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do St. Louis residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the St. Louis, MO-IL area pay?: St. Louis residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $38,978 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $47,360 as the median of the 50 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the St. Louis, MO-IL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 18%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in St. Louis?: This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 40.2% of St. Louis adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a library assistant somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other office and administrative support roles in St. Louis

St. Louis is the 2nd largest of 2 Missouri cities in this dataset.