Interpreters and translators
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Interpreters and translators in the United States earn a median salary of $60,170 per year — about $29 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 75K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +2%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core work product is purely digital information (text and speech) in a domain where Large Language Models already demonstrate near-human proficiency. While high-stakes interpreting (legal, medical) and sign language still require human presence and nuanced judgment, the vast majority of translation and routine interpreting tasks are being rapidly automated or shifted to 'post-editing' roles, significantly reducing the total human labor required per unit of work.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CABEST VALUE | $101,530 | Above avg (110.4) | $91,946 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area | $93,960 | Above avg (106.9) | $87,925 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $94,510 | Above avg (108.9) | $86,799 |
| Akron, OH | $80,640 | Below avg (93.4) | $86,366 |
| Boise City, ID | $80,250 | Average (98.4) | $81,562 |
| Lancaster, PA | $78,890 | Average (98.3) | $80,289 |
| Rochester, NY | $77,770 | Average (97.0) | $80,146 |
| Richmond, VA | $78,030 | Average (97.9) | $79,738 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $83,200 | Above avg (104.5) | $79,627 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $69,190 | Below avg (87.6) | $78,955 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $84,960 | Above avg (107.8) | $78,824 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $75,230 | Below avg (95.5) | $78,737 |
| Salem, OR | $80,960 | Above avg (103.6) | $78,110 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87,590 | Above avg (112.6) | $77,814 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $82,440 | Above avg (108.8) | $75,773 |