Home › Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media › Interpreters and Translators › District of Columbia
Data current as of August 2026 · sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET
Average base salary, District of Columbia
$106,500 / year
≈ $8,900 per month · $51.20 per hour
BLS May 2025 state data for District of Columbia · median $114,000
25th percentile
$80,000Average
$106,50075th percentile
$129,000
$80,000Average
$106,50075th percentile
$129,000
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Interpreters and Translators salary by state
Alabama$55,500
Arizona$57,500
Arkansas$57,000
California$81,500
Colorado$78,000
Connecticut$80,500
District of Columbia$106,500
Florida$61,000
Georgia$64,000
Hawaii$59,000
Idaho$74,000
Illinois$60,500
Indiana$58,500
Iowa$51,000
Kansas$57,000
Kentucky$61,000
Louisiana$51,500
Maine$73,500
Maryland$90,000
Massachusetts$82,000
Michigan$56,000
Minnesota$74,500
Mississippi$61,000
Missouri$65,000
Montana$51,500
Nebraska$61,000
Nevada$52,000
New Hampshire$57,500
New Jersey$83,000
New Mexico$68,500
New York$89,500
North Carolina$62,000
North Dakota$54,000
Ohio$66,000
Oklahoma$56,000
Oregon$71,500
Pennsylvania$66,500
Rhode Island$88,500
South Carolina$57,000
South Dakota$58,500
Tennessee$55,500
Texas$58,000
Utah$68,500
Vermont$80,000
Virginia$77,000
Washington$72,500
Wisconsin$66,500
About this role
Interpreters and Translators is a professional role within the function in the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media job family.
Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Interpreters and Translatorss do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
Top skills: Speaking Active Listening Reading Comprehension Writing Monitoring Critical Thinking
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Interpreters and Translators pay by experience level
Entry level$38,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$48,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$62,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$83,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$107,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+1.7%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
6,900
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Interpreters and Translators salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
21,620 workers
$71,000Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
20,260 workers
$70,500Educational Services
11,030 workers
$70,000Educational Services, Local Government Owned
8,890 workers
$65,000Elementary and Secondary Schools
8,260 workers
$63,000Hospitals
5,020 workers
$68,500General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
4,720 workers
$68,500Hospitals, Privately Owned
3,810 workers
$70,000Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
3,770 workers
$79,000Ambulatory Health Care Services
2,970 workers
$53,000National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Interpreters and Translators pays 23% below the average across 45 roles in the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media job family (family average $88,500).
Similar-paying roles in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Disc Jockeys, Except Radio$70,000
Broadcast Technician$70,500
Audio and Video Technicians$67,000
Dancer$66,500
Graphic Designer$73,000
Coaches and Scouts$62,500
Choreographer$75,500
Interior Designer$77,000
Careers related to Interpreters and Translators
Speech-Language Pathologist$101,500
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$68,000
Endoscopy Technician$52,500
Tutor$50,000
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Interpreters and Translators make?
The average base salary for a Interpreters and Translators in the United States is $68,500 per year, or about $32.93 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $48,000 and $83,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media roles?
The Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media job family averages $88,500 across 45 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
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