BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best MLIS Schools Near Parkersburg, WV (2026)
Updated September 1, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Parkersburg, West Virginia is home to about 29,461 residents. Median household income is $44,675 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV metro area, the top-earning library science-related role is Library Technician at a median $44,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Library Science Schools to Parkersburg
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer library science programs near Parkersburg, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Parkersburg city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
Parkersburg is part of the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV metro area (BLS area code 37620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to West Virginia statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Librarian and Media Collections Specialist
$42,980
WV statewide
$49,346
Library Technician
$44,310
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
$50,873
Archivist
N/A
WV statewide
–
Library Science Teacher, Postsecondary
N/A
WV statewide
–
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Parkersburg at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
29,461
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$44,675
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
18.5%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.1 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Parkersburg-Area Cities With Library Science Programs
What are the highest-paying library science roles near Parkersburg?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying library science-related roles near Parkersburg are: Library Technician ($44,310), Librarian and Media Collections Specialist ($42,980). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with West Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Marietta instead of Parkersburg?
Marietta, OH is 12.3 miles from Parkersburg and has its own set of local library science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Parkersburg an affordable place to study library science?
Parkersburg’s median household income of $44,675 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Parkersburg while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and West Virginia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 1, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.