What education do interpreters and translators need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists bachelor's degree as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 5 programs here to interpreters and translators: Special Education (Bachelor's), Paralegal Studies (Associate's), Romance Languages (Bachelor's), Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (Bachelor's), and Linguistics and Language Studies (Bachelor's).

Interpreters and Translators: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays interpreters and translators the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $109,970. After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest, at $100,063 in US-average prices.

52,060 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: bachelor's degree
Occupation code 27-3091

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Interpreters and translators earn a median of $60,170 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($109,970) and lowest in Hawaii ($42,270). After adjusting for prices, District of Columbia is highest ($100,063) and Hawaii lowest ($38,444). Jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$60,170US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$37,070US

Top 10% earn over$103,660US

Projected job growth2%2025 to 2035, about 6,000 openings a year

Pay for interpreters and translators by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$109,970	$100,063	280	$58,720	$128,610
2	Maryland	$88,550	$84,366	1,150	$51,660	$120,900
3	New York	$84,090	$77,918	3,240	$48,930	$127,350
4	Rhode Island	$82,320	$80,485	200	$51,450	$134,270
5	Massachusetts	$72,750	$68,790	2,280	$49,650	$131,900
6	Colorado	$71,790	$69,664	800	$51,230	$105,180
7	California	$70,770	$63,918	5,560	$49,530	$119,810
8	Connecticut	$68,340	$65,959	280	$40,840	$128,760
9	Minnesota	$66,410	$67,339	1,030	$52,290	$91,150
10	Oregon	$66,300	$64,144	660	$47,090	$95,770
11	Idaho	$66,130	$69,250	300	$42,740	$101,500
12	Utah	$65,770	$66,526	850	$46,140	$86,360
13	New Mexico	$63,550	$68,917	360	$31,120	$99,860
14	Maine	$63,470	$65,399	90	$50,450	$99,050
15	Wisconsin	$63,390	$67,368	1,410	$40,390	$88,460
16	Virginia	$63,030	$62,342	1,630	$43,160	$123,490
17	Vermont	$62,450	$63,752	80	$48,050	$113,460
18	Washington	$61,750	$57,703	1,250	$44,640	$105,710
19	Ohio	$61,230	$65,999	2,030	$39,300	$91,920
20	New Jersey	$58,970	$54,198	870	$33,170	$176,910
21	Georgia	$57,880	$60,108	1,600	$35,370	$98,980
22	Mississippi	$57,130	$65,702	80	$33,020	$83,740
23	Pennsylvania	$57,040	$58,459	1,420	$38,580	$104,120
24	Missouri	$57,010	$62,775	440	$39,790	$94,320
25	New Hampshire	$56,370	$54,116	240	$47,610	$61,900
26	Illinois	$55,290	$55,313	1,510	$37,990	$82,370
27	Kentucky	$53,590	$59,439	480	$35,160	$81,800
28	South Dakota	$53,140	$59,987	230	$36,730	$75,320
29	Nebraska	$53,050	$58,877	570	$41,860	$87,480
30	Arkansas	$52,490	$60,377	220	$32,170	$80,770
31	Tennessee	$51,080	$55,600	710	$32,280	$78,480
32	South Carolina	$50,860	$54,251	520	$36,860	$75,310
33	Nevada	$50,370	$50,381	320	$37,470	$70,160
34	Arizona	$50,150	$49,813	2,070	$32,280	$99,070
35	North Carolina	$50,030	$53,039	1,780	$34,510	$101,110
36	Oklahoma	$48,980	$55,759	320	$27,790	$82,750
37	Florida	$48,930	$47,315	4,200	$34,290	$99,590
38	Louisiana	$48,420	$54,894	120	$29,910	$79,040
39	North Dakota	$48,190	$54,171	130	$39,650	$73,030
40	Iowa	$48,150	$54,864	560	$34,330	$67,290
41	Indiana	$48,140	$51,581	1,170	$41,460	$80,810
42	Kansas	$47,950	$53,238	470	$32,850	$88,830
43	Montana	$47,850	$50,557	60	$38,520	$60,940
44	Texas	$47,510	$48,951	6,780	$31,500	$89,140
45	Alabama	$46,130	$51,935	310	$33,050	$98,660
46	Michigan	$45,310	$47,091	940	$35,990	$88,630
47	Puerto Rico	$42,990	Not available	130	$22,560	$79,610
48	Hawaii	$42,270	$38,444	60	$36,910	$92,150

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted. BLS publishes no median pay for interpreters and translators in Alaska, Delaware, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to interpreters and translators. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Special Education (Bachelor's)	166	$44,195	$26,564
Paralegal Studies (Associate's)	57	$37,559	$19,500
Romance Languages (Bachelor's)	189	$34,649	$22,067
Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (Bachelor's)	84	$31,311	$22,938
Linguistics and Language Studies (Bachelor's)	80	$27,539	$20,824

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Interpreters and translators earn a median of $60,170 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $37,070, and the top 10% more than $103,660.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release