In this article
Interpreters and translators in the United States earned a median wage of $60,170 a year, or $28.93 an hour, in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The average was $66,360 a year, or $31.90 an hour. Pay varies widely: the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,070 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,660.
Texas has the most interpreters and translators on payroll, 6,780, followed by California (5,560), Florida (4,200), New York (3,240) and Massachusetts (2,280). The District of Columbia pays the most, an average of $102,960 a year, followed by Maryland ($87,160), New York ($86,550) and Rhode Island ($85,370).
Key figures
$60,170
median annual wage for interpreters and translators, May 2025
$102,960
average in the District of Columbia, higher than any state
6,780
payroll jobs in Texas, the most of any state
6,000
job openings a year projected through 2035
- Under $50K
- $50K to $55K
- $55K to $60K
- $60K to $70K
- $70K to $80K
- $80K or more
- Not published
Average (mean) annual wage of interpreters and translators on payroll, May 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, occupation 27-3091; excludes self-employed workers. BLS did not release wages for Alaska, Delaware and West Virginia and published no estimate for Wyoming. Each square is one state; size is not population.
Interpreter and translator pay in every state
| State | Jobs | Average annual wage | Average hourly wage | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 280 | $102,960 | $49.50 | $109,970 |
| Maryland | 1,150 | $87,160 | $41.91 | $88,550 |
| New York | 3,240 | $86,550 | $41.61 | $84,090 |
| Rhode Island | 200 | $85,370 | $41.05 | $82,320 |
| New Jersey | 870 | $80,040 | $38.48 | $58,970 |
| Massachusetts | 2,280 | $79,140 | $38.05 | $72,750 |
| California | 5,560 | $78,800 | $37.88 | $70,770 |
| Connecticut | 280 | $77,750 | $37.38 | $68,340 |
| Vermont | 80 | $77,460 | $37.24 | $62,450 |
| Colorado | 800 | $75,380 | $36.24 | $71,790 |
| Virginia | 1,630 | $74,320 | $35.73 | $63,030 |
| Minnesota | 1,030 | $71,800 | $34.52 | $66,410 |
| Idaho | 300 | $71,730 | $34.49 | $66,130 |
| Maine | 90 | $71,250 | $34.26 | $63,470 |
| Washington | 1,250 | $70,140 | $33.72 | $61,750 |
| Oregon | 660 | $68,870 | $33.11 | $66,300 |
| New Mexico | 360 | $66,340 | $31.89 | $63,550 |
| Utah | 850 | $66,250 | $31.85 | $65,770 |
| Wisconsin | 1,410 | $64,240 | $30.89 | $63,390 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,420 | $64,190 | $30.86 | $57,040 |
| Ohio | 2,030 | $63,530 | $30.54 | $61,230 |
| Missouri | 440 | $62,710 | $30.15 | $57,010 |
| Georgia | 1,600 | $61,750 | $29.69 | $57,880 |
| North Carolina | 1,780 | $59,890 | $28.79 | $50,030 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $59,050 | $28.39 | $57,130 |
| Nebraska | 570 | $58,940 | $28.34 | $53,050 |
| Kentucky | 480 | $58,930 | $28.33 | $53,590 |
| Florida | 4,200 | $58,900 | $28.32 | $48,930 |
| Illinois | 1,510 | $58,650 | $28.20 | $55,290 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $57,010 | $27.41 | $42,270 |
| Indiana | 1,170 | $56,690 | $27.26 | $48,140 |
| South Dakota | 230 | $56,360 | $27.10 | $53,140 |
| Texas | 6,780 | $55,840 | $26.84 | $47,510 |
| Arizona | 2,070 | $55,700 | $26.78 | $50,150 |
| New Hampshire | 240 | $55,630 | $26.75 | $56,370 |
| Arkansas | 220 | $55,270 | $26.57 | $52,490 |
| South Carolina | 520 | $55,230 | $26.55 | $50,860 |
| Kansas | 470 | $55,220 | $26.55 | $47,950 |
| Michigan | 940 | $54,040 | $25.98 | $45,310 |
| Oklahoma | 320 | $53,980 | $25.95 | $48,980 |
| Alabama | 310 | $53,740 | $25.84 | $46,130 |
| Tennessee | 710 | $53,590 | $25.76 | $51,080 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $52,380 | $25.18 | $48,190 |
| Nevada | 320 | $50,390 | $24.23 | $50,370 |
| Louisiana | 120 | $49,820 | $23.95 | $48,420 |
| Montana | 60 | $49,580 | $23.84 | $47,850 |
| Iowa | 560 | $49,350 | $23.72 | $48,150 |
| Alaska | 150 | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| West Virginia | 120 | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Delaware | 110 | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Wyoming | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
National pay range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $17.82 | $37,070 |
| 25th | $22.37 | $46,530 |
| 50th (median) | $28.93 | $60,170 |
| 75th | $38.86 | $80,830 |
| 90th | $49.84 | $103,660 |
For comparison, the median wage for all occupations was $50,980 in May 2025, and for media and communication workers, the BLS group that includes interpreters and translators, $74,250.
Metro areas with the most interpreters and translators
| Metro area | Jobs | Average annual wage | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 2,530 | $51,170 | 2.29 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2,520 | $91,110 | 0.79 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,720 | $54,370 | 2.16 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,660 | $81,250 | 1.83 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 1,630 | $93,460 | 1.55 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,480 | $78,410 | 0.71 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,280 | $60,820 | 0.95 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 1,170 | $58,420 | 2.42 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,130 | $63,440 | 1.16 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,070 | $61,310 | 0.71 |
The best-paid metro areas are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,650 average), Washington, DC ($93,460), Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($92,880), New York ($91,110) and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($90,940). Salinas, CA has the highest concentration in the country: interpreters and translators make up nearly nine times the national share of its jobs (location quotient 8.97), followed by El Paso, TX (4.71).
Interpreter and translator pay in California
| Metro area | Jobs | Average annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 1,480 | $78,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 760 | $90,940 |
| Salinas | 560 | $75,080 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 450 | $79,240 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | 430 | $71,650 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 360 | $79,960 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 300 | $93,650 |
| Fresno | 110 | $70,790 |
| Stockton-Lodi | 80 | $61,550 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 70 | $81,410 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | 70 | $92,880 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | 50 | $72,910 |
| Visalia | 50 | $70,870 |
| Modesto | 40 | $70,470 |
| Merced | 30 | $65,990 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | 30 | $82,600 |
California as a whole has 5,560 interpreters and translators on payroll, with an average wage of $78,800 and a median of $70,770. Interpreters in California courts are generally certified or registered by the Judicial Council; see the California court interpreter program.
Where interpreters and translators work
| Industry | Jobs | Average annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Other professional, scientific and technical services (includes translation and interpretation companies) | 20,260 | $67,930 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | 8,260 | $61,020 |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 4,720 | $65,960 |
| Local government, excluding schools and hospitals | 2,160 | $68,810 |
| Employment services | 2,110 | $54,960 |
| Offices of physicians | 1,950 | $48,630 |
| State government, excluding schools and hospitals | 1,240 | $79,570 |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools | 1,220 | $89,130 |
| Junior colleges | 1,070 | $83,390 |
| Individual and family services | 980 | $69,670 |
About 39% of wage and salary interpreters and translators work in the professional services industry that includes translation and interpretation companies. Schools and hospitals are the next largest employers. Federal government jobs are few, 370, but average $107,960 a year, well above state government ($79,570) and local government ($68,810), excluding schools and hospitals.
Job outlook, 2025 to 2035
BLS projects employment of interpreters and translators to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, from 73,900 jobs to 75,400, slower than the average for all occupations. Even so, it expects about 6,000 openings a year, mostly to replace interpreters and translators who retire or change careers.
The 73,900 figure is larger than the 52,060 payroll jobs above because it includes self-employed workers, who make up 27.6% of the occupation. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education. Court work usually also requires a credential, and medical interpreters can earn a voluntary national certification that some employers require or prefer; see the state court interpreter certification guide and CCHI vs. NBCMI medical interpreter certification.
Interpreters who work in legal or medical settings in California can apply to join the AMS interpreter network.
About the data
- Pay and job counts come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, released May 15, 2026. They cover wage and salary workers only. Freelance and self-employed interpreters, a large part of the field, are not included, and BLS does not report their earnings.
- BLS counts interpreters (spoken or sign language) and translators (written) as one occupation, 27-3091, and does not publish separate pay for each.
- Annual wages are hourly wages multiplied by 2,080 hours. Many interpreters work part time or by assignment, so actual yearly earnings can be lower or higher.
- The average (mean) is pulled up by high earners; the median is the middle wage. Small-state estimates have wide margins (New Hampshire's job count has a relative standard error of 47.6%), so differences between neighboring states are often not meaningful.
- Projections are from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, released August 27, 2026, which replaced the 2024 to 2034 projections.