Search Metadata Specialist Salary in the United States
How much does a Search Metadata Specialist make in the United States?
As of July 01, 2026, the average salary for a Search Metadata Specialist in the United States is $75,105 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.
However, a Search Metadata Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $81,259
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $64,730 to $78,326
Key Factors That Influence Search Metadata Specialist Salaries
A Search Metadata Specialist's salary isn't a fixed number.
It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Search Metadata Specialist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Search Metadata Specialist's salary.
As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases.
Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $70,349
Early Career (1-2 years): $71,070
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $73,376
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $76,343
Expert (over 8 years): $77,722
Levels
Salary
Entry Level Search Metadata Specialist
$70,349
Intermediate Level Search Metadata Specialist
$71,070
Senior Level Search Metadata Specialist
$73,376
Specialist Level Search Metadata Specialist
$76,343
Expert Level Search Metadata Specialist
$77,722
$70,3490 yr
$71,070< 2 yrs
$73,3762-4 yrs
$76,3435-8 yrs
$77,722> 8 yrs
View as Table
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What Am I Worth?
How Do Search Metadata Specialist Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work.
States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors
often pay more to attract Search Metadata Specialists.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $83,156.
California: $82,841.
Massachusetts: $81,737.
District of Columbia$83,156
California$82,841
Massachusetts$81,737
Washington$81,436
New Jersey$81,406
Alaska$81,301
Connecticut$80,264
New York$79,844
Hawaii$78,500
Rhode Island$77,869
Maryland$77,441
Minnesota$76,855
Colorado$76,629
Illinois$76,554
Oregon$76,269
Delaware$76,059
New Hampshire$75,926
Virginia$75,631
Pennsylvania$74,767
Nevada$74,331
North Dakota$74,189
Michigan$73,963
Wisconsin$73,881
Vermont$73,715
Texas$73,257
Maine$73,227
Arizona$73,182
Ohio$73,130
Georgia$72,439
Indiana$72,093
Wyoming$72,026
Utah$71,920
Iowa$71,875
Kansas$71,515
Louisiana$71,410
North Carolina$71,372
Missouri$71,357
Florida$71,064
Montana$70,906
Nebraska$70,756
Kentucky$70,674
South Carolina$70,373
Tennessee$70,185
Idaho$70,110
New Mexico$69,562
Oklahoma$69,442
Alabama$68,999
South Dakota$68,255
Arkansas$67,850
West Virginia$67,632
Mississippi$66,978
Top Paying Cities for Search Metadata Specialists
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $94,730
San Francisco: $93,692
Oakland: $91,718
San Jose, CA$94,730
San Francisco, CA$93,692
Oakland, CA$91,718
New York, NY$86,475
Paramus, NJ$85,423
Queens Village, NY$85,420
Passaic, NJ$85,348
Bergenfield, NJ$85,342
Stamford, CT$85,176
Huntington, NY$85,146
Newark, NJ$84,591
Bridgeport, CT$84,432
Vallejo, CA$84,283
New Brunswick, NJ$84,253
Petaluma, CA$84,208
Middlesex, NJ$84,065
Somerset, NJ$84,012
Santa Cruz, CA$83,915
Boston, MA$83,456
Monterey, CA$83,193
Seattle, WA$83,021
Santa Rosa, CA$83,006
Los Angeles, CA$82,983
Juneau, AK$82,788
Washington, DC$82,705
Orange, CA$82,438
Santa Ana, CA$82,240
Long Beach, CA$82,165
Anaheim, CA$82,150
Anchorage, AK$82,112
Santa Maria, CA$81,887
Everett, WA$81,872
Danbury, CT$81,607
Bremerton, WA$81,504
Tacoma, WA$81,233
New Suffolk, NY$81,232
Sacramento, CA$81,211
Santa Barbara, CA$81,128
Trenton, NJ$81,046
San Diego, CA$81,046
Brockton, MA$80,963
Fairbanks, AK$80,779
Lompoc, CA$80,587
Lowell, MA$80,527
Ventura, CA$80,512
Nashua, NH$80,497
Stockton, CA$80,490
Modesto, CA$79,942
Poughkeepsie, NY$79,776
Olympia, WA$79,634
Kennewick, WA$79,634
New Haven, CT$79,604
Lawrence, MA$79,333
Hartford, CT$79,258
Riverside, CA$79,243
New Bedford, MA$79,168
Richland, WA$79,168
Bakersfield, CA$79,063
San Bernardino, CA$79,033
New Britain, CT$79,025
Atlantic City, NJ$79,025
New London, CT$78,995
Norwich, CT$78,973
Portsmouth, NH$78,958
Boulder, CO$78,798
Portland, OR$78,695
Worcester, MA$78,687
Minneapolis, MN$78,454
Philadelphia, PA$78,349
Honolulu, HI$78,101
Saint Paul, MN$78,065
Vineland, NJ$78,049
Providence, RI$77,831
Chicago, IL$77,613
Bellingham, WA$77,523
Springfield, MA$77,463
Baltimore, MD$77,441
Chico, CA$77,253
Pittsfield, MA$77,050
Manchester, NH$76,907
Spokane, WA$76,577
Denver, CO$76,569
Albany, NY$76,216
Troy, NY$76,186
Nassau, NY$76,106
Schenectady, NY$76,029
Wilmington, DE$75,969
Burlington, VT$75,863
Salem, OR$75,833
Portland, ME$75,600
Yakima, WA$75,525
Rochester, MN$75,293
Reno, NV$75,255
Fresno, CA$75,255
Milwaukee, WI$75,187
Detroit, MI$75,112
Ann Arbor, MI$75,100
Allentown, PA$75,090
Colorado Springs, CO$74,962
Syracuse, NY$74,925
Carson City, NV$74,925
Houston, TX$74,819
Eugene, OR$74,782
Gary, IN$74,692
Springfield, OR$74,632
Bismarck, ND$74,617
Galveston, TX$74,564
Medford, OR$74,451
Fort Collins, CO$74,421
Concord, NH$74,384
Austin, TX$74,361
Mesa, AZ$74,204
Reading, PA$74,196
Phoenix, AZ$74,189
Dallas, TX$74,166
Saint Cloud, MN$74,094
Madison, WI$73,993
Utica, NY$73,790
Rochester, NY$73,670
Des Moines, IA$73,663
Raleigh, NC$73,655
Atlanta, GA$73,543
Battle Creek, MI$73,520
Salt Lake City, UT$73,498
Lancaster, PA$73,385
Harrisburg, PA$73,280
Kansas City, MO$73,205
Champaign, IL$73,190
Kansas City, KS$73,190
Fort Worth, TX$73,182
Columbus, OH$73,169
Boca Raton, FL$73,152
Pittsburgh, PA$73,122
Richmond, VA$73,092
Indianapolis, IN$73,077
Cleveland, OH$73,069
Las Vegas, NV$72,979
Cincinnati, OH$72,979
Petersburg, VA$72,867
Huntsville, AL$72,754
Lansing, MI$72,704
Lebanon, PA$72,694
Pueblo, CO$72,686
Appleton, WI$72,664
Buffalo, NY$72,634
Dayton, OH$72,611
Racine, WI$72,596
Charlotte, NC$72,589
Saint Louis, MO$72,566
York, PA$72,521
Elkhart, IN$72,521
Gastonia, NC$72,507
Billings, MT$72,489
Beaumont, TX$72,469
Lorain, OH$72,454
Benton Harbor, MI$72,439
Toledo, OH$72,424
Binghamton, NY$72,386
Rock Hill, SC$72,378
Rockford, IL$72,341
Springfield, IL$72,311
Elyria, OH$72,303
Fargo, ND$72,303
Flagstaff, AZ$72,251
Fort Lauderdale, FL$72,206
Duluth, MN$72,161
Miami, FL$72,161
Cheyenne, WY$72,108
Grand Forks, ND$72,108
Bangor, ME$71,943
Cedar Rapids, IA$71,860
Durham, NC$71,829
Louisville, KY$71,823
Grand Rapids, MI$71,808
Hialeah, FL$71,800
Casper, WY$71,695
Scranton, PA$71,605
New Orleans, LA$71,582
Virginia Beach, VA$71,575
Akron, OH$71,537
Peoria, IL$71,440
Sarasota, FL$71,425
Nashville, TN$71,372
Omaha, NE$71,372
Green Bay, WI$71,372
Baton Rouge, LA$71,335
Charleston, SC$71,320
Jamestown, NY$71,282
Davenport, IA$71,282
Tucson, AZ$71,244
Saint Petersburg, FL$71,199
Tampa, FL$71,184
Evansville, IN$71,139
Port Arthur, TX$71,139
Bradenton, FL$71,109
Santa Fe, NM$70,974
Orlando, FL$70,839
Clearwater, FL$70,816
Canton, OH$70,659
La Crosse, WI$70,659
Albuquerque, NM$70,614
Newport News, VA$70,606
High Point, NC$70,583
Ogden, UT$70,553
Corpus Christi, TX$70,493
Norfolk, VA$70,448
Laramie, WY$70,448
Rock Island, IL$70,403
Saginaw, MI$70,388
Jacksonville, FL$70,381
Salisbury, NC$70,366
Boise, ID$70,351
Moline, IL$70,313
Fort Myers, FL$70,291
Memphis, TN$70,276
Tulsa, OK$70,238
Waterloo, IA$70,193
Spartanburg, SC$70,118
Lincoln, NE$70,080
Fort Wayne, IN$70,065
Provo, UT$70,058
Cedar Falls, IA$69,968
San Antonio, TX$69,938
Greensboro, NC$69,908
South Bend, IN$69,900
Savannah, GA$69,817
Muskegon, MI$69,787
Birmingham, AL$69,780
Winston Salem, NC$69,743
Lake Charles, LA$69,562
Anderson, IN$69,547
Lexington, KY$69,525
Augusta, GA$69,502
Greenville, SC$69,502
Lima, OH$69,442
Wichita, KS$69,434
Tuscaloosa, AL$69,434
Columbia, SC$69,367
Springfield, OH$69,352
Asheville, NC$69,232
Bloomington, IN$69,179
Knoxville, TN$68,909
Shreveport, LA$68,901
Wilmington, NC$68,804
Roanoke, VA$68,804
Topeka, KS$68,668
Frankfort, KY$68,660
Oklahoma City, OK$68,608
Chillicothe, OH$68,578
Longview, TX$68,571
Melbourne, FL$68,563
Sioux Falls, SD$68,443
Mobile, AL$68,435
Terre Haute, IN$68,405
Altoona, PA$68,360
Amarillo, TX$68,308
Killeen, TX$68,285
Fayetteville, AR$68,225
Chattanooga, TN$68,203
Sioux City, IA$68,135
Idaho Falls, ID$68,120
Lynchburg, VA$68,060
Gainesville, FL$67,962
Portsmouth, OH$67,925
Little Rock, AR$67,910
Lafayette, LA$67,880
Youngstown, OH$67,880
Daytona Beach, FL$67,835
Clarksville, TN$67,827
Pensacola, FL$67,820
Temple, TX$67,814
Hopkinsville, KY$67,594
Erie, PA$67,579
Florence, SC$67,549
Charleston, WV$67,429
Great Falls, MT$67,392
Macon, GA$67,286
Tallahassee, FL$67,279
Fayetteville, NC$67,264
Waco, TX$67,249
Helena, MT$67,196
Pine Bluff, AR$67,168
Vincennes, IN$67,076
Lubbock, TX$67,046
Alamogordo, NM$67,001
Twin Falls, ID$66,933
Rapid City, SD$66,911
Jackson, MS$66,776
Huntington, WV$66,770
Greenville, MS$66,768
Parkersburg, WV$66,692
Montgomery, AL$66,678
Wichita Falls, TX$66,603
Springfield, MO$66,603
Biloxi, MS$66,565
Monroe, LA$66,490
Johnstown, PA$66,438
Sumter, SC$66,408
Columbus, GA$66,400
Pascagoula, MS$66,257
Abilene, TX$66,257
Kingsport, TN$66,062
Albany, GA$66,062
Gulfport, MS$66,040
Alexandria, LA$65,792
Fort Smith, AR$65,604
El Paso, TX$65,401
Las Cruces, NM$65,063
Harlingen, TX$64,873
Pocatello, ID$64,861
Florence, AL$64,763
Brownsville, TX$64,748
Mcallen, TX$64,590
Dothan, AL$64,485
Columbus, MS$64,039
Altus, OK$63,689
Lawton, OK$63,546
Pierre, SD$63,276
What Skills Can Increase a Search Metadata Specialist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Planning (Mentioned in 4.28% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
Medication Administration (Mentioned in 6.08% Job Postings): Medication administration is the direct application of a prescribed medication whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or other means to the body of the individual by an individual legally authorized to do so.
Housekeeping (Mentioned in 2.42% Job Postings): Housekeeping department is keeping the venue clean and sanitary as part of customer service. Cleaners vacuum rugs and furniture in hallways, rooms and public areas. They collect trash and empty wastebaskets, change the sheets and make the beds.
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Planning
4.28%
Medication Administration
6.08%
Housekeeping
2.42%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Search Metadata Specialist's salary.
Dedication: Can increase your salary by up to 38%.
Decision Making: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
Time Management: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
Dedication
$103,645
38%
Decision Making
$94,632
26%
Time Management
$84,868
13%
Problem Solving
$83,366
11%
Leadership
$82,615
10%
Verbal Communication
$81,864
9%
Get Latest Data
Search Metadata Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Search Metadata Specialist roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 20% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare,
offers compensation 10% above the average. Conversely,
Search Metadata Specialist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Search Metadata Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Search Metadata Specialist
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare
$82,615
$40.0
10%
How Education impacts a Search Metadata Specialist's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Search Metadata Specialists enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Search Metadata Specialist with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$81,302
and $86,520).
Search Metadata Specialist Salaries by Degree Level
Understanding how a Search Metadata Specialist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on July 01, 2026
$64,730
Average$75,105/year
$78,326
$5,394
Average$6,259/month
$6,527
$1,245
Average$1,444/week
$1,506
$31
Average$36/hour
$38
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$78,326
$6,527
$1,506
$38
Average
$75,105
$6,259
$1,444
$36
25th Percentile
$64,730
$5,394
$1,245
$31
Salaries of jobs related to Search Metadata Specialist
Salaries for a Search Metadata Specialist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $63,661 in 2023
to around $63,637 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Search Metadata Specialist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Search Metadata Specialist Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$63,661
2024
$63,970
2025
$63,637
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$63,661
2024
$63,970
2025
$63,637
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Search Metadata Specialist
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for Search Metadata Specialist
Here are companies hiring for Search Metadata Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.
N
$97,099/per year
New York Police Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$95,962/per year
State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$94,615/per year
US Department of Transportation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$93,141/per year
US General Services Administration
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$92,342/per year
Los Angeles County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
D
$92,011/per year
Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,967/per year
US Department of Commerce
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,755/per year
US Department of Energy
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
F
$91,673/per year
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$90,276/per year
Naval Sea Systems Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,975/per year
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$88,721/per year
San Diego County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,664/per year
The TTB
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$87,569/per year
Lutheran Services
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
M
$85,066/per year
Maryland Inc
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$83,780/per year
State University of New York
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$82,969/per year
New York State
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
P
$82,703/per year
Puerto Rico Department of Education
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$80,526/per year
US Central Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
H
$80,286/per year
Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$79,270/per year
Air Force Reserve
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$78,505/per year
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$76,678/per year
State of Florida - Department of Health
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$75,183/per year
New York State Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$75,106/per year
State University System of Florida
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
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