Interpreters and Translators Salary: $59,440 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 53,360 interpreters and translators work nationally, and $59,440 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.7% annual growth.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Interpreters and Translators grew from 23,220 in 2009 to 25,800 in 2025 (11.1%).
Historical employment for Interpreters and Translators from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$59,440 Median pay (BLS national)
Interpreters and Translators earn $59,440 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 6,710 employees, $76,490 avg wage
- TX: 5,820 employees, $53,700 avg wage
- FL: 4,500 employees, $54,790 avg wage
- NY: 3,650 employees, $86,810 avg wage
- VA: 2,610 employees, $80,500 avg wage
- MA: 2,250 employees, $70,100 avg wage
- AZ: 2,040 employees, $56,560 avg wage
- IL: 1,860 employees, $57,940 avg wage
- NC: 1,800 employees, $64,280 avg wage
- GA: 1,730 employees, $62,510 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Interpreters and Translators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,060 employees, $86,460 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,000 employees, $92,050 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,980 employees, $49,410 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,900 employees, $73,120 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,640 employees, $73,190 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 1,540 employees, $53,900 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 1,520 employees, $55,540 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,440 employees, $60,490 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,290 employees, $57,000 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,120 employees, $78,760 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 U.S. workforce for Interpreters and Translators is about 53,360 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Interpreters and Translators earn $59,440 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.