Interpreters and translators salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,070 | $17.82 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $60,170 | $28.93 |
| Mean (average) | $66,360 | $31.90 |
| 90th percentile | $103,660 | $49.84 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Interpreters and translators pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 51 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,130 | $33,050 | $98,660 | 310 | 0.43 |
| Alaska | Data unavailable | 150 | 1.34 | ||
| Arizona | $50,150 | $32,280 | $99,070 | 2,070 | 1.91 |
| Arkansas | $52,490 | $32,170 | $80,770 | 220 | 0.5 |
| California | $70,770 | $49,530 | $119,810 | 5,560 | 0.91 |
| Colorado | $71,790 | $51,230 | $105,180 | 800 | 0.83 |
| Connecticut | $68,340 | $40,840 | $128,760 | 280 | 0.49 |
| Delaware | Data unavailable | 110 | 0.69 | ||
| District of Columbia | $109,970 | $58,720 | $128,610 | 280 | 1.19 |
| Florida | $48,930 | $34,290 | $99,590 | 4,200 | 1.26 |
| Georgia | $57,880 | $35,370 | $98,980 | 1,600 | 0.98 |
| Hawaii | $42,270 | $36,910 | $92,150 | 60 | 0.3 |
| Idaho | $66,130 | $42,740 | $101,500 | 300 | 1.05 |
| Illinois | $55,290 | $37,990 | $82,370 | 1,510 | 0.74 |
| Indiana | $48,140 | $41,460 | $80,810 | 1,170 | 1.1 |
| Iowa | $48,150 | $34,330 | $67,290 | 560 | 1.08 |
| Kansas | $47,950 | $32,850 | $88,830 | 470 | 0.98 |
| Kentucky | $53,590 | $35,160 | $81,800 | 480 | 0.71 |
| Louisiana | $48,420 | $29,910 | $79,040 | 120 | 0.19 |
| Maine | $63,470 | $50,450 | $99,050 | 90 | 0.42 |
| Maryland | $88,550 | $51,660 | $120,900 | 1,150 | 1.24 |
| Massachusetts | $72,750 | $49,650 | $131,900 | 2,280 | 1.87 |
| Michigan | $45,310 | $35,990 | $88,630 | 940 | 0.64 |
| Minnesota | $66,410 | $52,290 | $91,150 | 1,030 | 1.04 |
| Mississippi | $57,130 | $33,020 | $83,740 | 80 | 0.2 |
| Missouri | $57,010 | $39,790 | $94,320 | 440 | 0.45 |
| Montana | $47,850 | $38,520 | $60,940 | 60 | 0.34 |
| Nebraska | $53,050 | $41,860 | $87,480 | 570 | 1.66 |
| Nevada | $50,370 | $37,470 | $70,160 | 320 | 0.62 |
| New Hampshire | $56,370 | $47,610 | $61,900 | 240 | 1.03 |
| New Jersey | $58,970 | $33,170 | $176,910 | 870 | 0.61 |
| New Mexico | $63,550 | $31,120 | $99,860 | 360 | 1.22 |
| New York | $84,090 | $48,930 | $127,350 | 3,240 | 1 |
| North Carolina | $50,030 | $34,510 | $101,110 | 1,780 | 1.07 |
| North Dakota | $48,190 | $39,650 | $73,030 | 130 | 0.93 |
| Ohio | $61,230 | $39,300 | $91,920 | 2,030 | 1.09 |
| Oklahoma | $48,980 | $27,790 | $82,750 | 320 | 0.57 |
| Oregon | $66,300 | $47,090 | $95,770 | 660 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,040 | $38,580 | $104,120 | 1,420 | 0.7 |
| Puerto Rico | $42,990 | $22,560 | $79,610 | 130 | 0.4 |
| Rhode Island | $82,320 | $51,450 | $134,270 | 200 | 1.22 |
| South Carolina | $50,860 | $36,860 | $75,310 | 520 | 0.68 |
| South Dakota | $53,140 | $36,730 | $75,320 | 230 | 1.5 |
| Tennessee | $51,080 | $32,280 | $78,480 | 710 | 0.65 |
| Texas | $47,510 | $31,500 | $89,140 | 6,780 | 1.44 |
| Utah | $65,770 | $46,140 | $86,360 | 850 | 1.47 |
| Vermont | $62,450 | $48,050 | $113,460 | 80 | 0.78 |
| Virginia | $63,030 | $43,160 | $123,490 | 1,630 | 1.19 |
| Washington | $61,750 | $44,640 | $105,710 | 1,250 | 1.05 |
| West Virginia | Data unavailable | 120 | 0.5 | ||
| Wisconsin | $63,390 | $40,390 | $88,460 | 1,410 | 1.43 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for interpreters and translators
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 6,000. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 27.6%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for interpreters and translators
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Deaf Studies CIP 05.0211
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness CIP 13.1003
- Foreign Languages and Literatures, General CIP 16.0101
- Linguistics CIP 16.0102
- Language Interpretation and Translation CIP 16.0103
- Applied Linguistics CIP 16.0105
- African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 16.0201
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General CIP 16.0300
- Chinese Language and Literature CIP 16.0301
- Japanese Language and Literature CIP 16.0302
- Korean Language and Literature CIP 16.0303
- Tibetan Language and Literature CIP 16.0304
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other CIP 16.0399
- Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General CIP 16.0400
- Baltic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 16.0401
- Russian Language and Literature CIP 16.0402
- Albanian Language and Literature CIP 16.0404
- Bulgarian Language and Literature CIP 16.0405
- Czech Language and Literature CIP 16.0406
- Polish Language and Literature CIP 16.0407
- Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian Languages and Literatures CIP 16.0408
- Slovak Language and Literature CIP 16.0409
- Ukrainian Language and Literature CIP 16.0410
- Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other CIP 16.0499
- Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General CIP 16.0500
- German Language and Literature CIP 16.0501
- Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 16.0502
- Danish Language and Literature CIP 16.0503
- Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature CIP 16.0504
- Norwegian Language and Literature CIP 16.0505
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
- Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
- Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors.
- Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Productivity software (in demand)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- AceTools.biz Ace Translator
- Adapt It
- AmoK Translator
- Ashkon Translation Pad
- Babylon Online Translator
- DocTranslate
- Electronic dictionaries
- ExcelTrans Translator
Transferable skills for career changers: Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Instructing, Complex Problem Solving.
Common job titles: American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL Interpreter), Court Interpreter, Educational Interpreter, Interpreter, Linguist, Medical Interpreter, Sign Language Interpreter, Spanish Interpreter, Spanish Translator, Translator.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do interpreters and translators make?
The national median annual wage for interpreters and translators was $60,170 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $37,070 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $103,660. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do interpreters and translators need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is interpreters and translators a growing career?
BLS projects employment of interpreters and translators to change +2.0% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 6,000 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay interpreters and translators the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were District of Columbia ($109,970), Maryland ($88,550), New York ($84,090). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.