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Best states for an interpreter
Quoted expert
Katty Kauffman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to interpreter jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Although there are abundant interpreter jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. Virginia is the best state in the country for interpreter jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for interpreters.We found that the Midwest is best for interpreters, and the Northeast is the worst. Arlington, VA is the best city in the country for interpreter jobs, where as Virginia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for interpreters in 2026
1. Virginia
Total interpreter jobs: 74 Average annual salary: $56,837 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
2. New York
Total interpreter jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $52,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
3. Georgia
Total interpreter jobs: 42 Average annual salary: $46,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
4. Texas
Total interpreter jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $43,899 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
5. California
Total interpreter jobs: 173 Average annual salary: $47,899 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
6. Maryland
Total interpreter jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $45,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
7. Connecticut
Total interpreter jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $45,328 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
8. West Virginia
Total interpreter jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $43,909 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
9. Massachusetts
Total interpreter jobs: 92 Average annual salary: $42,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
10. Mississippi
Total interpreter jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $42,083 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
Interpreter jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an interpreter
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an interpreter
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $56,837 | $38,000 | 8,470,020 | 74 |
| 2 | New York | $52,557 | $35,000 | 19,849,399 | 78 |
| 3 | Georgia | $46,413 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 42 |
| 4 | Texas | $43,899 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 104 |
| 5 | California | $47,899 | $31,000 | 39,536,653 | 173 |
| 6 | Maryland | $45,815 | $30,000 | 6,052,177 | 45 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $45,328 | $30,000 | 3,588,184 | 15 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $43,909 | $29,000 | 1,815,857 | 6 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $42,651 | $28,000 | 6,859,819 | 92 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $42,083 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 10 |
| 11 | Vermont | $43,059 | $29,000 | 623,657 | 3 |
| 12 | Washington | $43,068 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 30 |
| 13 | Arizona | $39,840 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 62 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $40,154 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 58 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $39,838 | $27,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $38,679 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 16 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $40,999 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 10 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $37,598 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 12 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $38,194 | $26,000 | 5,576,606 | 40 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $39,042 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 7 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $40,516 | $27,000 | 9,005,644 | 29 |
| 22 | Colorado | $40,245 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 21 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $38,100 | $26,000 | 755,393 | 3 |
| 24 | Alaska | $42,392 | $31,000 | 739,795 | 1 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $41,989 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 3 |
| 26 | Nevada | $39,469 | $26,000 | 2,998,039 | 3 |
| 27 | Maine | $39,099 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 3 |
| 28 | Utah | $37,803 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 11 |
| 29 | Oregon | $36,317 | $24,000 | 4,142,776 | 327 |
| 30 | Idaho | $36,143 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 8 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $37,743 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 10 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $36,300 | $24,000 | 693,972 | 36 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $33,556 | $23,000 | 869,666 | 6 |
| 34 | Florida | $37,095 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 54 |
| 35 | Montana | $33,329 | $23,000 | 1,050,493 | 11 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $36,923 | $25,000 | 579,315 | 1 |
| 37 | Indiana | $34,967 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 17 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $33,384 | $22,000 | 5,795,483 | 19 |
| 39 | Alabama | $32,370 | $22,000 | 4,874,747 | 14 |
| 40 | Iowa | $32,848 | $22,000 | 3,145,711 | 10 |
| 41 | Michigan | $32,334 | $21,000 | 9,962,311 | 25 |
| 42 | Delaware | $26,786 | $17,000 | 961,939 | 14 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $32,582 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 13 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $30,644 | $21,000 | 10,273,419 | 44 |
| 45 | Illinois | $32,916 | $22,000 | 12,802,023 | 34 |
| 46 | Kansas | $32,640 | $22,000 | 2,913,123 | 8 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $32,392 | $22,000 | 6,715,984 | 9 |
| 48 | Ohio | $31,366 | $21,000 | 11,658,609 | 25 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $30,976 | $21,000 | 3,004,279 | 5 |
| 50 | Missouri | $31,353 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 16 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $29,056 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 9 |
Highest paying states for interpreters
| Rank | State | Avg. Interpreter Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $56,837 |
| 2 | New York | $52,557 |
| 3 | Georgia | $46,413 |
| 4 | Texas | $43,899 |
| 5 | California | $47,899 |
| 6 | Maryland | $45,815 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $45,328 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $43,909 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $42,651 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $42,083 |
| 11 | Vermont | $43,059 |
| 12 | Washington | $43,068 |
| 13 | Arizona | $39,840 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $40,154 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $39,838 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $38,679 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $40,999 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $37,598 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $38,194 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $39,042 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $40,516 |
| 22 | Colorado | $40,245 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $38,100 |
| 24 | Alaska | $42,392 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $41,989 |
| 26 | Nevada | $39,469 |
| 27 | Maine | $39,099 |
| 28 | Utah | $37,803 |
| 29 | Oregon | $36,317 |
| 30 | Idaho | $36,143 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $37,743 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $36,300 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $33,556 |
| 34 | Florida | $37,095 |
| 35 | Montana | $33,329 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $36,923 |
| 37 | Indiana | $34,967 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $33,384 |
| 39 | Alabama | $32,370 |
| 40 | Iowa | $32,848 |
| 41 | Michigan | $32,334 |
| 42 | Delaware | $26,786 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $32,582 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $30,644 |
| 45 | Illinois | $32,916 |
| 46 | Kansas | $32,640 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $32,392 |
| 48 | Ohio | $31,366 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $30,976 |
| 50 | Missouri | $31,353 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $29,056 |
Expert opinions on the best states for interpreters
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for interpreters to find work opportunities?
Katty Kauffman
US-based Freelance Interpreter, member of AIIC, representative of the VEGA Outreach and Mentoring Network, International Association of Conference Interpreters
Conference interpreting is a smaller industry in the U.S. than it is in Europe, where there are a lot of large institutions working daily in multiple languages. Although we do have large institutions that employ conference interpreters, like the UN in New York and the World Bank, IDB, and Pan American Health Organization in Washington, unless they have a particularly sought after language combination, young graduates will find more opportunities by starting their working life in medical institutions or as court interpreters. Both of these require additional, specialized studies and national or state certification, so make sure you know your state's requirements so you can make the best choices for your career.
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Updated January 8, 2025