Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Median $72,420
Occupation · SOC 27-3091
Interpreters and Translators: pay and where the jobs are
What interpreters and translators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,170 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,360
- Median hourly wage
- $28.93
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.90
- Employment
- 52,060
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3091.
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See where your pay falls among interpreters and translators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do interpreters and translators make?
The median annual wage for interpreters and translators was $60,170 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,070 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,660. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.93. About 52,060 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($109,970), Maryland ($88,550) and New York ($84,090). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for interpreters and translators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,070 | $17.82 | $3,089 | $2,664 |
| 25th percentile | $46,530 | $22.37 | $3,878 | $3,297 |
| Median | $60,170 | $28.93 | $5,014 | $4,211 |
| 75th percentile | $80,830 | $38.86 | $6,736 | $5,474 |
| 90th percentile | $103,660 | $49.84 | $8,638 | $6,813 |
Interpreters and Translators: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$72,624 take-home in national prices
2
$64,106 take-home in national prices
3
$61,954 take-home in national prices
Where a median interpreters and translator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 280 | $109,970 | $58,720 | $128,610 | $79,815 | $72,624 |
| Maryland | 1,150 | $88,550 | $51,660 | $120,900 | $67,285 | $64,106 |
| New York | 3,240 | $84,090 | $48,930 | $127,350 | $63,649 | $58,977 |
| Rhode Island | 200 | $82,320 | $51,450 | $134,270 | $63,366 | $61,954 |
| Massachusetts | 2,280 | $72,750 | $49,650 | $131,900 | $56,257 | $53,195 |
| Colorado | 800 | $71,790 | $51,230 | $105,180 | $56,568 | $54,893 |
| California | 5,560 | $70,770 | $49,530 | $119,810 | $55,261 | $49,910 |
| Connecticut | 280 | $68,340 | $40,840 | $128,760 | $53,557 | $51,691 |
| Minnesota | 1,030 | $66,410 | $52,290 | $91,150 | $52,256 | $52,986 |
| Oregon | 660 | $66,300 | $47,090 | $95,770 | $50,595 | $48,950 |
| Idaho | 300 | $66,130 | $42,740 | $101,500 | $52,919 | $55,416 |
| Utah | 850 | $65,770 | $46,140 | $86,360 | $52,447 | $53,050 |
| New Mexico | 360 | $63,550 | $31,120 | $99,860 | $51,421 | $55,764 |
| Maine | 90 | $63,470 | $50,450 | $99,050 | $50,254 | $51,782 |
| Wisconsin | 1,410 | $63,390 | $40,390 | $88,460 | $50,860 | $54,051 |
| Virginia | 1,630 | $63,030 | $43,160 | $123,490 | $50,014 | $49,468 |
| Vermont | 80 | $62,450 | $48,050 | $113,460 | $50,700 | $51,757 |
| Washington | 1,250 | $61,750 | $44,640 | $105,710 | $50,940 | $47,601 |
| Ohio | 2,030 | $61,230 | $39,300 | $91,920 | $50,138 | $54,043 |
| New Jersey | 870 | $58,970 | $33,170 | $176,910 | $47,414 | $43,577 |
| Georgia | 1,600 | $57,880 | $35,370 | $98,980 | $46,547 | $48,339 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $57,130 | $33,020 | $83,740 | $46,531 | $53,513 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,420 | $57,040 | $38,580 | $104,120 | $46,221 | $47,371 |
| Missouri | 440 | $57,010 | $39,790 | $94,320 | $46,245 | $50,922 |
| New Hampshire | 240 | $56,370 | $47,610 | $61,900 | $47,473 | $45,575 |
| Illinois | 1,510 | $55,290 | $37,990 | $82,370 | $44,013 | $44,032 |
| Kentucky | 480 | $53,590 | $35,160 | $81,800 | $43,482 | $48,228 |
| South Dakota | 230 | $53,140 | $36,730 | $75,320 | $44,878 | $50,660 |
| Nebraska | 570 | $53,050 | $41,860 | $87,480 | $43,271 | $48,024 |
| Arkansas | 220 | $52,490 | $32,170 | $80,770 | $42,901 | $49,347 |
| Tennessee | 710 | $51,080 | $32,280 | $78,480 | $43,223 | $47,048 |
| South Carolina | 520 | $50,860 | $36,860 | $75,310 | $41,989 | $44,789 |
| Nevada | 320 | $50,370 | $37,470 | $70,160 | $42,652 | $42,661 |
| Arizona | 2,070 | $50,150 | $32,280 | $99,070 | $41,616 | $41,336 |
| North Carolina | 1,780 | $50,030 | $34,510 | $101,110 | $40,892 | $43,351 |
| Oklahoma | 320 | $48,980 | $27,790 | $82,750 | $39,877 | $45,396 |
| Florida | 4,200 | $48,930 | $34,290 | $99,590 | $41,495 | $40,125 |
| Louisiana | 120 | $48,420 | $29,910 | $79,040 | $40,019 | $45,370 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $48,190 | $39,650 | $73,030 | $40,901 | $45,977 |
| Iowa | 560 | $48,150 | $34,330 | $67,290 | $39,691 | $45,225 |
| Indiana | 1,170 | $48,140 | $41,460 | $80,810 | $39,470 | $42,291 |
| Kansas | 470 | $47,950 | $32,850 | $88,830 | $38,832 | $43,114 |
| Montana | 60 | $47,850 | $38,520 | $60,940 | $39,135 | $41,349 |
| Texas | 6,780 | $47,510 | $31,500 | $89,140 | $40,354 | $41,578 |
| Alabama | 310 | $46,130 | $33,050 | $98,660 | $37,347 | $42,046 |
| Michigan | 940 | $45,310 | $35,990 | $88,630 | $36,912 | $38,363 |
| Puerto Rico | 130 | $42,990 | $22,560 | $79,610 | — | — |
| Hawaii | 60 | $42,270 | $36,910 | $92,150 | $34,453 | $31,335 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3091. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.