Interpreters and Translators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-3091 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$59,446
$28.58/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Interpreters and Translators is $59,446 per year ($28.58/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $45,011 and $80,018 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $99,819 per year. There are approximately 53,360 interpreters and translators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
7K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
75K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
NAICS 541900
19K
$58,180
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
9K
$58,470
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
5K
$60,760
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
2K
$61,020
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$32,390
Wage range across top 5 industries: $32,390 to $61,020 (88% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.13
$35,630
P25
$21.64
$45,011
P50MEDIAN
$28.58
$59,446
P75
$38.47
$80,018
P90
$47.99
$99,819
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average interpreters and translators salary?
The national median salary for Interpreters and Translators is $59,446 per year ($28.58/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $45,011 and $80,018 annually.
How much do top-earning interpreters and translators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Interpreters and Translators is $99,819 per year ($47.99/hr). The 75th percentile is $80,018 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for interpreters and translators?
Entry-level Interpreters and Translators (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,630 per year ($17.13/hr). The 25th percentile is $45,011 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.