Best states for a medical interpreter

Q: What is the best state for medical interpreters?

The best state to be a medical interpreter is District of Columbia based on medical interpreter salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for medical interpreters?

The highest paying state for medical interpreters is Oklahoma based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for medical interpreters?

The worst state for medical interpreters is Oklahoma, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Katty Kauffman

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It seems like medical interpreters are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for medical interpreters aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for medical interpreters, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for medical interpreter jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for medical interpreters. District of Columbia is the best state for medical interpreters, where the median salary is $74,449.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for medical interpreter jobs, whereas Oklahoma is the worst.

10 best states for medical interpreters in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total medical interpreter jobs: 173
Average annual salary: $74,449
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
2.11
Medical interpreter jobs in District of Columbia
2. California
Total medical interpreter jobs: 3,405
Average annual salary: $59,312
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
2.39
Medical interpreter jobs in California
3. Virginia
Total medical interpreter jobs: 914
Average annual salary: $56,808
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.99
Medical interpreter jobs in Virginia
4. West Virginia
Total medical interpreter jobs: 204
Average annual salary: $49,274
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
2.74
Medical interpreter jobs in West Virginia
5. Oregon
Total medical interpreter jobs: 320
Average annual salary: $55,160
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Medical interpreter jobs in Oregon
6. Nevada
Total medical interpreter jobs: 314
Average annual salary: $45,765
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
3.08
Medical interpreter jobs in Nevada
7. New York
Total medical interpreter jobs: 78
Average annual salary: $54,778
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
0.12
Medical interpreter jobs in New York
8. Mississippi
Total medical interpreter jobs: 223
Average annual salary: $46,653
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
2.15
Medical interpreter jobs in Mississippi
9. Massachusetts
Total medical interpreter jobs: 98
Average annual salary: $49,986
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.22
Medical interpreter jobs in Massachusetts
10. Kentucky
Total medical interpreter jobs: 505
Average annual salary: $44,276
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
2.81
Medical interpreter jobs in Kentucky

Medical interpreter jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a medical interpreter

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a medical interpreter

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$74,449	$44,000	693,972	173
2	California	$59,312	$35,000	39,536,653	3,405
3	Virginia	$56,808	$34,000	8,470,020	914
4	West Virginia	$49,274	$30,000	1,815,857	204
5	Oregon	$55,160	$33,000	4,142,776	320
6	Nevada	$45,765	$27,000	2,998,039	314
7	New York	$54,778	$33,000	19,849,399	78
8	Mississippi	$46,653	$28,000	2,984,100	223
9	Massachusetts	$49,986	$31,000	6,859,819	98
10	Kentucky	$44,276	$27,000	4,454,189	505
11	New Mexico	$44,377	$27,000	2,088,070	308
12	Maryland	$52,376	$31,000	6,052,177	64
13	New Jersey	$51,655	$31,000	9,005,644	29
14	Nebraska	$43,050	$27,000	1,920,076	381
15	Vermont	$47,755	$30,000	623,657	3
16	Texas	$44,483	$27,000	28,304,596	103
17	Connecticut	$47,702	$29,000	3,588,184	15
18	Rhode Island	$43,673	$27,000	1,059,639	12
19	New Hampshire	$44,271	$27,000	1,342,795	16
20	Minnesota	$42,521	$27,000	5,576,606	937
21	Idaho	$42,332	$26,000	1,716,943	254
22	Washington	$46,922	$28,000	7,405,743	31
23	Alaska	$47,963	$32,000	739,795	1
24	Pennsylvania	$42,754	$25,000	12,805,537	66
25	Georgia	$40,575	$25,000	10,429,379	1,309
26	Maine	$43,263	$27,000	1,335,907	3
27	Utah	$42,409	$26,000	3,101,833	12
28	Colorado	$44,417	$28,000	5,607,154	13
29	Kansas	$36,546	$23,000	2,913,123	498
30	North Dakota	$40,983	$26,000	755,393	3
31	Michigan	$40,757	$25,000	9,962,311	28
32	Louisiana	$42,001	$25,000	4,684,333	10
33	Arizona	$39,071	$23,000	7,016,270	57
34	Montana	$37,569	$24,000	1,050,493	12
35	Florida	$40,501	$24,000	20,984,400	58
36	Wyoming	$40,778	$26,000	579,315	1
37	Illinois	$34,851	$21,000	12,802,023	1,623
38	Wisconsin	$39,217	$24,000	5,795,483	18
39	South Dakota	$36,719	$23,000	869,666	7
40	Arkansas	$34,408	$21,000	3,004,279	301
41	Tennessee	$39,129	$24,000	6,715,984	9
42	Alabama	$31,703	$19,000	4,874,747	468
43	Missouri	$31,709	$20,000	6,113,532	778
44	Delaware	$30,809	$18,000	961,939	153
45	South Carolina	$36,076	$22,000	5,024,369	13
46	Iowa	$35,825	$22,000	3,145,711	9
47	Hawaii	$34,976	$24,000	1,427,538	3
48	North Carolina	$31,377	$19,000	10,273,419	44
49	Indiana	$34,271	$21,000	6,666,818	16
50	Ohio	$32,260	$19,000	11,658,609	32
51	Oklahoma	$28,109	$17,000	3,930,864	9

Highest paying states for medical interpreters

Rank	State	Avg. Medical Interpreter Salary
1	District of Columbia	$74,449
2	California	$59,312
3	Virginia	$56,808
4	West Virginia	$49,274
5	Oregon	$55,160
6	Nevada	$45,765
7	New York	$54,778
8	Mississippi	$46,653
9	Massachusetts	$49,986
10	Kentucky	$44,276
11	New Mexico	$44,377
12	Maryland	$52,376
13	New Jersey	$51,655
14	Nebraska	$43,050
15	Vermont	$47,755
16	Texas	$44,483
17	Connecticut	$47,702
18	Rhode Island	$43,673
19	New Hampshire	$44,271
20	Minnesota	$42,521
21	Idaho	$42,332
22	Washington	$46,922
23	Alaska	$47,963
24	Pennsylvania	$42,754
25	Georgia	$40,575
26	Maine	$43,263
27	Utah	$42,409
28	Colorado	$44,417
29	Kansas	$36,546
30	North Dakota	$40,983
31	Michigan	$40,757
32	Louisiana	$42,001
33	Arizona	$39,071
34	Montana	$37,569
35	Florida	$40,501
36	Wyoming	$40,778
37	Illinois	$34,851
38	Wisconsin	$39,217
39	South Dakota	$36,719
40	Arkansas	$34,408
41	Tennessee	$39,129
42	Alabama	$31,703
43	Missouri	$31,709
44	Delaware	$30,809
45	South Carolina	$36,076
46	Iowa	$35,825
47	Hawaii	$34,976
48	North Carolina	$31,377
49	Indiana	$34,271
50	Ohio	$32,260
51	Oklahoma	$28,109

Expert opinions on the best states for medical interpreters

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for medical 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.

Medical interpreter best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for medical interpreters?

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Medical Interpreter
Best states for Medical Interpreters

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total medical interpreter jobs:	173
Average annual salary:	$74,449
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$123,000
Location Quotient:	2.11

Best states for a medical interpreter

10 best states for medical interpreters in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. California

3. Virginia

4. West Virginia

5. Oregon

6. Nevada

7. New York

8. Mississippi

9. Massachusetts

10. Kentucky