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What does a Librarians and Media Collections Specialists salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Librarians and Media Collections Specialists earning $60,500 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $60,560 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $35,730 | $35,765 | +$35 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $45,550 | $45,595 | +$45 |
| Median (P50) | $60,500 | $60,560 | +$60 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $75,070 | $75,145 | +$75 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $96,490 | $96,586 | +$96 |
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $60,500 keeps most of its value at $60,560 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 99.9, Arizona is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living, $60,500 nominal nets out to $60,561 in real purchasing power — a small 0.1% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Librarians and Media Collections Specialists.
Arizona ranks #43 of 51 — bottom quartile for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists real purchasing power. Relocation, employer negotiation, or remote roles at higher-paying markets tend to generate the biggest ROI.
Where does Librarians and Media Collections Specialists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #43 out of 51 states for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Librarians and Media Collections Specialists take-home pay in Arizona after taxes →
A Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Arizona earns a median salary of $60,500 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $60,560 — a +0.1% difference.
Arizona's cost of living is 0.1% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Arizona is 99.9 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in Arizona: $60,500 x (100 / 99.9) = $60,560. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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