Interpreters and Translators: salary, outlook & degrees
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Middle half $46,530–$80,830. 52,060 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
54% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $35,534.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 6,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies | 18% | Spanish / French / Romance Languages · American Sign Language |
| English Language And Literature | 8% | English |
| Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature | 5% | Linguistics |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Studio Arts | 3% | Studio Art |
| General Business | 3% | Business |
| History | 3% | History |
| Other Foreign Languages | 2% | East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) |
| Communication Disorders Sciences And Services | 2% | Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $109,970 |
| Maryland | $88,550 |
| New York | $84,090 |
| Rhode Island | $82,320 |
| Massachusetts | $72,750 |
| Colorado | $71,790 |
| California | $70,770 |
| Connecticut | $68,340 |
| Minnesota | $66,410 |
| Oregon | $66,300 |
| Idaho | $66,130 |
| Utah | $65,770 |
| New Mexico | $63,550 |
| Maine | $63,470 |
| Wisconsin | $63,390 |
| Virginia | $63,030 |
| Vermont | $62,450 |
| Washington | $61,750 |
| Ohio | $61,230 |
| New Jersey | $58,970 |
| Georgia | $57,880 |
| Mississippi | $57,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,040 |
| Missouri | $57,010 |
| New Hampshire | $56,370 |
| Illinois | $55,290 |
| Kentucky | $53,590 |
| South Dakota | $53,140 |
| Nebraska | $53,050 |
| Arkansas | $52,490 |
| Tennessee | $51,080 |
| South Carolina | $50,860 |
| Nevada | $50,370 |
| Arizona | $50,150 |
| North Carolina | $50,030 |
| Oklahoma | $48,980 |
| Florida | $48,930 |
| Louisiana | $48,420 |
| North Dakota | $48,190 |
| Iowa | $48,150 |
| Indiana | $48,140 |
| Kansas | $47,950 |
| Montana | $47,850 |
| Texas | $47,510 |
| Alabama | $46,130 |
| Michigan | $45,310 |
| PR | $42,990 |
| Hawaii | $42,270 |
Florida metro areas
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$49,470
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$61,120
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$61,920
- Jacksonville$60,930
- Tallahassee$57,520
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$38,130
- Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin$44,180
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$47,140
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$94,510
- Richmond$78,030
- Charlottesville$65,910
- Roanoke$54,630
- Harrisonburg$40,580
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$69,460
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$83,680
- Salinas$62,720
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$74,310
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$64,360
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$73,690
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$101,530
- Fresno$68,050
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Foreign Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Administrative
Work styles
- Integrity
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cautiousness
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Artistic (creative), Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Interpreters and Translators: questions
How much do interpreters and Translators make?
Interpreters and Translators earn a U.S. median $60,170 a year; the middle half earn $46,530 to $80,830 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $33,516 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is interpreters and Translators a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 2.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an interpreters and Translator?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 86% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is french German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies (18%).
How much do interpreters and Translators make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $48,930 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $60,170 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 27-3091. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Interpreters and Translators: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/interpreters-and-translators.