National Salary Info » Interpreters and Translators

Highest Paying Industries for Interpreters and Translators

The top 100 highest paying industries for interpreters and translators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $132,240, engineering services is the highest paying industry for interpreters and translators. It is followed by architectural, engineering, and related services industry (average annual salary $126,700). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of interpreters and translators in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Interpreters and Translators

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Engineering Services	$132,240	$68,350	n/a
2	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	$126,700	$50,430	n/a
3	Federal government, including USPS	$70,250	$54,030	450
4	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$70,250	$54,030	450
5	Office Administrative Services	$68,170	$60,860	n/a
6	Wholesale Trade	$59,710	$19,470	100
7	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$57,280	$30,090	1,800
8	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$56,980	$29,760	2,120
9	Junior colleges - State government owned	$56,460	$23,990	290
10	Other Information Services	$55,330	$33,160	40
11	Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	$55,000	$26,550	n/a
12	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$52,450	$27,630	4,180
13	Federal, State, and Local Government	$52,450	$27,630	4,180
14	Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services	$51,920	$23,530	80
15	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$51,160	$29,210	1,130
16	Software Publishers	$51,120	$36,560	40
17	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$50,680	$32,440	1,240
18	Educational Services - State government owned	$50,580	$30,020	1,710
19	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$49,880	$28,840	2,030
20	Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$49,530	$19,590	16,970
21	State government, including schools and hospitals	$49,440	$31,520	3,250
22	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$48,640	$19,180	18,000
23	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Local government owned	$48,460	$40,160	40
24	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$48,210	$28,260	870
25	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$47,610	$39,270	290
26	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$47,590	$38,990	270
27	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$47,440	$25,510	2,490
28	Elementary and Secondary Schools - State government owned	$47,140	$33,330	280
29	Scientific Research and Development Services	$47,130	$33,590	40
30	Publishing Industries (except Internet)	$46,240	$24,070	110
31	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$46,080	$32,730	40
32	Hospitals - Privately owned	$45,860	$32,020	4,050
33	Transportation and Warehousing	$45,840	$28,740	n/a
34	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$45,680	$31,780	3,770
35	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$45,480	$23,000	50
36	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$45,380	$21,960	30
37	Social Advocacy Organizations	$45,350	$27,240	270
38	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$45,190	$31,920	5,020
39	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$44,970	$31,760	4,690
40	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$44,580	$32,120	60
41	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	$44,150	$30,110	50
42	Educational Services - Privately owned	$44,130	$25,510	1,360
43	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$44,130	$29,910	170
44	Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers	$43,950	$21,330	70
45	Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	$43,620	$29,710	50
46	Educational Support Services - Privately owned	$43,470	$17,430	50
47	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$43,240	$24,490	19,030
48	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$43,230	$28,930	140
49	Hospitals - State government owned	$42,460	$32,010	300
50	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$42,390	$22,090	430
51	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$42,310	$31,500	670
52	Hospitals - Local government owned	$42,280	$31,510	670
53	Newspaper Publishers	$42,230	$19,150	40
54	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$42,090	$26,610	100
55	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$41,650	$21,710	440
56	Educational Services	$41,640	$23,650	15,240
57	Home Health Care Services	$41,440	$25,910	380
58	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$41,350	$32,050	250
59	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$41,340	$28,570	40
60	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$41,100	$23,650	15,330
61	Outpatient Care Centers	$40,930	$27,870	330
62	Educational Support Services	$40,900	$19,270	220
63	Health Care and Social Assistance	$40,720	$25,970	9,180
64	Educational Support Services - Local government owned	$40,460	$22,270	170
65	Educational Services - Local government owned	$39,990	$23,160	12,170
66	Finance and Insurance	$39,670	$27,170	290
67	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$39,600	$22,010	250
68	Insurance Carriers	$39,380	$28,890	250
69	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$39,210	$27,080	260
70	Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers	$38,670	$28,680	200
71	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$38,580	$22,800	10,680
72	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$38,290	$22,690	10,150
73	Administrative and Support Services	$36,770	$21,530	n/a
74	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$36,770	$21,530	n/a
75	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$36,740	$22,600	1,870
76	Employment Services	$36,050	$21,480	n/a
77	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$35,900	$23,510	40
78	Temporary Help Services	$35,420	$21,700	n/a
79	Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities	$35,380	$20,590	510
80	Manufacturing	$35,320	$24,940	200
81	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$34,950	$21,620	90
82	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$34,950	$25,750	200
83	Offices of Physicians	$34,910	$21,170	970
84	Individual and Family Services	$34,780	$21,890	1,630
85	Social Assistance	$34,740	$22,480	2,190
86	Computer Systems Design and Related Services	$34,590	$17,410	210
87	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$34,550	$21,660	100
88	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$34,240	$26,150	360
89	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$30,580	$25,870	50
90	Other Schools and Instruction	$29,610	$24,770	n/a
91	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$29,600	$24,750	n/a
92	Food Manufacturing	$29,400	$23,310	100
93	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	$29,120	$23,130	90
94	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$28,980	$25,550	40
95	Business Support Services	$27,880	$20,650	40
96	Child Day Care Services	$27,000	$20,220	60
97	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$23,210	$18,160	370
98	Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	$22,700	$18,100	340
99	Legal Services	$18,590	$17,030	n/a