Interpreters and Translators Salary: $78,569 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 53,360 interpreters and translators nationally earn a mean of $78,569. Employment in the series shown fell about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Interpreters and Translators: what the data shows
Common questions about interpreters and translators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a interpreters and translators?
Interpreters and Translators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-3091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 53,360 workers.
What does a interpreters and translators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a interpreters and translators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $59,440 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $78,569 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,873 |
| 25th percentile | $57,337 |
| Median (50th) | $75,508 |
| 75th percentile | $99,133 |
| 90th percentile | $111,336 |
What education do you need?
For Interpreters and Translators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including English Language, Foreign Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is interpreters and translators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 6.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 53,360.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do interpreters and translatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 53,360 | 17.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 37,060 | 11.9% |
| Educational Services | 24,350 | 7.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 21,060 | 6.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 21,060 | 6.8% |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 19,430 | 6.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Interpreters and Translators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | 11,960 | $49,130 |
| Film and Video Editors | 28,860 | $70,980 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Interpreters and Translators workforce.
Employment Over Time
53,360 Workforce in 2023
The Interpreters and Translators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Interpreters and Translators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$78,569 Average Wage
In 2023, Interpreters and Translators earned an average of $78,569.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Interpreters and Translators.
Salary distribution for Interpreters and Translators.
Employment Growth Projections
0.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
26,663 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.3%
27,556 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 6.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Interpreters and Translators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Interpreters and Translators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Interpreters and Translators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Interpreters and Translators.
Wage Trends by Industry
12.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Interpreters and Translators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Interpreters and Translators.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 6,040 employees, $77,950 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Interpreters and Translators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,460 employees, $75,188 avg wage
- Salinas MSA: 760 employees, $72,858 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 540 employees, $78,856 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 490 employees, $77,141 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 480 employees, $74,799 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 450 employees, $88,624 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 440 employees, $74,847 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 350 employees, $90,446 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 340 employees, $93,483 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 150 employees, $70,505 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Interpreters and Translators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Interpreters and Translators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Interpreters and Translators in 2023 was 53,360 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Interpreters and Translators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Interpreters and Translators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Interpreters and Translators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Interpreters and Translators in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Interpreters and Translators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Interpreters and Translators workers.
Education level distribution for Interpreters and Translators.
Skills
Interpreters and Translators need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Interpreters and Translators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Interpreters and Translators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Interpreters and Translators include English Language, Foreign Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Interpreters and Translators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Interpreters and Translators include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Interpreters and Translators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Interpreters and Translators.
Daily Activities
Interpreters and Translators spend their time on activities such as Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Interpreters and Translators.
About
Interpreters and Translators
The average yearly wage for Interpreters and Translators was $78,569 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-3091 - Interpreters and Translators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Interpreters and Translators reports an average salary of $78,569.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 53,360 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.