Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
27-3091 Interpreters and Translators
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
National estimates for Interpreters and Translators
Industry profile for Interpreters and Translators
Geographic profile for Interpreters and Translators
National estimates for Interpreters and Translators:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Interpreters and Translators:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 56,920 |
4.3 % |
$ 27.95 |
$ 58,140 |
1.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Interpreters and Translators:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.30 |
$ 18.46 |
$ 25.16 |
$ 34.92 |
$ 46.38 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 29,740 |
$ 38,410 |
$ 52,330 |
$ 72,630 |
$ 96,480 |
Industry profile for Interpreters and Translators:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Interpreters and Translators are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Interpreters and Translators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Interpreters and Translators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
23,300 |
3.21 |
$ 30.32 |
$ 63,070 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
8,970 |
0.11 |
$ 23.79 |
$ 49,480 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
5,540 |
0.10 |
$ 26.52 |
$ 55,160 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
2,280 |
0.04 |
$ 27.33 |
$ 56,850 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
1,950 |
0.06 |
$ 34.36 |
$ 71,460 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Interpreters and Translators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
23,300 |
3.21 |
$ 30.32 |
$ 63,070 |
| Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services |
690 |
0.38 |
$ 21.00 |
$ 43,680 |
| Educational Support Services |
500 |
0.27 |
$ 22.90 |
$ 47,620 |
| Junior Colleges |
1,520 |
0.22 |
$ 33.40 |
$ 69,480 |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions |
220 |
0.15 |
$ 15.19 |
$ 31,600 |
Top paying industries for Interpreters and Translators:
Geographic profile for Interpreters and Translators:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Interpreters and Translators are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Interpreters and Translators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Interpreters and Translators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
7,510 |
0.46 |
1.12 |
$ 32.29 |
$ 67,160 |
| Texas |
5,690 |
0.47 |
1.15 |
$ 28.48 |
$ 59,240 |
| New York |
3,240 |
0.37 |
0.91 |
$ 34.24 |
$ 71,230 |
| Ohio |
2,980 |
0.58 |
1.42 |
$ 23.67 |
$ 49,230 |
| Arizona |
2,790 |
0.98 |
2.40 |
$ 24.94 |
$ 51,870 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Interpreters and Translators:
Top paying states for Interpreters and Translators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Virginia |
2,340 |
0.63 |
1.54 |
$ 38.19 |
$ 79,440 |
| New Jersey |
450 |
0.12 |
0.29 |
$ 35.37 |
$ 73,560 |
| Maryland |
1,230 |
0.49 |
1.19 |
$ 34.54 |
$ 71,840 |
| New York |
3,240 |
0.37 |
0.91 |
$ 34.24 |
$ 71,230 |
| California |
7,510 |
0.46 |
1.12 |
$ 32.29 |
$ 67,160 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Interpreters and Translators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,000 |
0.99 |
2.43 |
$ 38.58 |
$ 80,240 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,810 |
0.48 |
1.18 |
$ 29.88 |
$ 62,140 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,760 |
0.31 |
0.76 |
$ 36.68 |
$ 76,300 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
2,520 |
0.85 |
2.07 |
$ 25.59 |
$ 53,220 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,490 |
0.57 |
1.40 |
$ 31.21 |
$ 64,910 |
| Columbus, OH |
1,470 |
1.43 |
3.50 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,360 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,340 |
0.31 |
0.75 |
$ 23.55 |
$ 48,990 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,150 |
0.49 |
1.21 |
$ 38.84 |
$ 80,780 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
1,010 |
0.89 |
2.16 |
$ 25.87 |
$ 53,810 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,000 |
0.28 |
0.68 |
$ 22.38 |
$ 46,560 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Interpreters and Translators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Las Cruces, NM |
240 |
3.45 |
8.44 |
$ 15.06 |
$ 31,320 |
| Harrisonburg, VA |
140 |
2.24 |
5.47 |
$ 24.31 |
$ 50,570 |
| Fargo, ND-MN |
210 |
1.54 |
3.76 |
$ 15.30 |
$ 31,820 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
160 |
1.47 |
3.59 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
300 |
1.45 |
3.54 |
$ 32.38 |
$ 67,350 |
| Columbus, OH |
1,470 |
1.43 |
3.50 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,360 |
| Colorado Springs, CO |
290 |
1.03 |
2.53 |
$ 31.17 |
$ 64,840 |
| St. Cloud, MN |
100 |
1.03 |
2.51 |
$ 22.38 |
$ 46,550 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,000 |
0.99 |
2.43 |
$ 38.58 |
$ 80,240 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA |
440 |
0.93 |
2.27 |
$ 25.48 |
$ 52,990 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Interpreters and Translators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
90 |
0.45 |
1.11 |
$ 43.35 |
$ 90,160 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
540 |
0.39 |
0.95 |
$ 39.50 |
$ 82,150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,150 |
0.49 |
1.21 |
$ 38.84 |
$ 80,780 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,000 |
0.99 |
2.43 |
$ 38.58 |
$ 80,240 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
40 |
0.19 |
0.47 |
$ 38.05 |
$ 79,150 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,760 |
0.31 |
0.76 |
$ 36.68 |
$ 76,300 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
620 |
0.42 |
1.02 |
$ 35.90 |
$ 74,670 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
290 |
0.22 |
0.54 |
$ 35.45 |
$ 73,740 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
470 |
0.45 |
1.10 |
$ 35.04 |
$ 72,890 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC |
360 |
0.50 |
1.22 |
$ 34.68 |
$ 72,140 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Interpreters and Translators:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Interpreters and Translators:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Interpreters and Translators:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
