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Per diem interpreter salary

Average per diem interpreter salary

$42,675

$20.52 hourly rate

Entry-level per diem interpreter salary
$26,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Per Diem Interpreter Salaries

The role of a Per Diem Interpreter is essential in facilitating communication across diverse environments. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $42,675 annually. Factors influencing this salary include geographical location, years of experience, and the specific industry of employment.

Salary Variations by State

Salaries for Per Diem Interpreters can differ by state. For instance, states like California and New York often present higher salary ranges due to the demand for multilingual services. In contrast, regions with fewer resources may offer lower compensation. It’s crucial for interpreters to research local job markets to assess potential earning opportunities.

Top Industries for Per Diem Interpreters

Interpreters find opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, legal services, and education. Each industry has unique requirements and salary structures, which can significantly affect overall compensation. Healthcare settings, for example, may offer higher pay due to the specialized knowledge required.

Understanding these dynamics allows interpreters to make informed decisions about their career paths and seek positions that align with their financial goals.

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Where can a Per Diem Interpreter earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
81k
61k
41k
21k
723
Columbus, OH$67,105
Goldsboro, NC$30,723
Compare salary by company
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112k
92k
72k
52k
32k
Cottage Health$100,491
AHMC Healthcare$61,546

Per diem interpreter salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a per diem interpreter typically falls between $40,744 and $64,020.
zippia
$42,675yearly
comparably[1]
$40,744yearly
ZipRecruiter[2]
$64,020yearly

Average per diem interpreter salary by state

The average per diem interpreter salary in New York, California, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average per diem interpreter salary states are Indiana, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for per diem interpreters

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$63,294$30.43
2District of Columbia$69,477$33.40
3Oregon$56,832$27.32
4California$61,849$29.74
5Washington$55,076$26.48
6New Jersey$49,450$23.77
7Vermont$47,670$22.92
8West Virginia$47,244$22.71
9Nevada$47,285$22.73
10Virginia$55,642$26.75
11Utah$51,784$24.90
12New Hampshire$43,698$21.01
13Florida$44,763$21.52
14Massachusetts$45,497$21.87
15Colorado$50,998$24.52
16New Mexico$44,847$21.56
17Rhode Island$42,575$20.47
18Mississippi$46,321$22.27
19Maine$42,620$20.49
20Nebraska$44,612$21.45
21Connecticut$43,858$21.09
22Maryland$46,909$22.55
23Kentucky$44,303$21.30
24Alaska$46,884$22.54
25Wyoming$43,423$20.88
26Pennsylvania$40,350$19.40
27Texas$41,796$20.09
28Arizona$39,747$19.11
29Louisiana$40,918$19.67
30Missouri$40,421$19.43
31Minnesota$41,336$19.87
32Kansas$38,200$18.37
33Tennessee$39,017$18.76
34Montana$39,408$18.95
35Michigan$37,941$18.24
36North Dakota$39,190$18.84
37Wisconsin$37,397$17.98
38South Dakota$37,334$17.95
39Hawaii$34,598$16.63
40South Carolina$35,790$17.21
41Georgia$37,825$18.19
42Idaho$34,190$16.44
43Iowa$37,383$17.97
44Ohio$30,821$14.82
45North Carolina$30,454$14.64
46Arkansas$34,992$16.82
47Delaware$28,925$13.91
48Illinois$34,989$16.82
49Indiana$33,741$16.22
50Alabama$31,547$15.17
51Oklahoma$32,784$15.76

Highest paying cities for per diem interpreters

The highest-paying cities for per diem interpreters are Davis, CA, New York, NY, and Portland, OR.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Davis, CA$67,105$32.26
2New York, NY$63,496$30.53
3Portland, OR$56,323$27.08
4Salt Lake City, UT$51,499$24.76
5Reno, NV$50,249$24.16
6Hackensack, NJ$49,835$23.96
7Burlington, VT$47,157$22.67
8Fall River, MA$46,066$22.15
9Miami, FL$44,275$21.29
10New Britain, CT$43,907$21.11
11Manchester, NH$43,747$21.03
12Portland, ME$43,448$20.89
13San Antonio, TX$41,850$20.12
14Saint Paul, MN$41,373$19.89
15Scranton, PA$41,210$19.81
16Garden City, MI$38,076$18.31
17Carbondale, IL$35,439$17.04
18Gadsden, AL$31,246$15.02
19Goldsboro, NC$30,723$14.77

Per diem interpreter salary details

A per diem interpreter's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $68,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average per diem interpreter salary graph
Average per diem interpreter salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a per diem interpreter's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$68,000$5,667$33
75th Percentile$54,000$4,500$26
Average$42,675$3,556$21
25th Percentile$33,000$2,750$16
10th Percentile$26,000$2,167$13

Highest paying per diem interpreter jobs

The highest paying types of per diem interpreters are technical translator, interpretive program coordinator, and language translator.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Freelance Translator$44,736$3,728$21.511,162
Cryptologic Linguist$43,225$3,602$20.78696
Technical Translator$55,019$4,585$26.4568,352
Language Translator$45,490$3,791$21.8721,450
Translator$44,278$3,690$21.291,206
Arabic Linguist$44,433$3,703$21.36742

Which companies pay per diem interpreters the most?

Per diem interpreter salaries at Cottage Health and Mission Regional Medical Center are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average per diem interpreter salary at companies like Grand View Health and Dignity Health are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Cottage Health$100,491$48.31
2Mission Regional Medical Center$87,022$41.84
3Grand View Health$84,110$40.44
4Dignity Health$82,968$39.89
5Washington Hospital Healthcare System$81,069$38.98
6HonorHealth$78,233$37.61
7Sutter Health$77,751$37.38
8Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership$76,642$36.85
9St. Tammany Health System$74,831$35.98
10UMiami Health System$71,882$34.56
11Sharp HealthCare$71,865$34.55
12Thomas Jefferson University$70,333$33.81
13Prime Healthcare$69,507$33.42
14Geisinger Medical Center$68,110$32.75
15Day Kimball Health$67,499$32.45
16Encompass Health$65,492$31.49
17Cambridge Health Alliance$65,186$31.34
18Scripps Health$64,512$31.02
19Chapters Health System$64,076$30.81
20AHMC Healthcare$61,546$29.59

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$45,000$44,200$43,400$42,600$41,800$41,000
MaleFemale

Per Diem Interpreter salary by industry

The average per diem interpreter salary varies across industries:

  • The average per diem interpreter salary in the health care industry is $52,530, the highest of any industry.
  • The average per diem interpreter salary in the finance industry is $50,627.
  • Per diem interpreters in the government industry earn an average salary of $39,006, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for per diem interpreters

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Health Care$52,530$25.25
2Insurance$50,627$24.34
3Professional$40,219$19.34
4Government$39,006$18.75

High paying per diem interpreter jobs

Per diem interpreter salary trends

The average per diem interpreter salary has risen by $6,663 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average per diem interpreter earned $36,012 annually, but today, they earn $42,675 a year. That works out to a 13% change in pay for per diem interpreters over the last decade.

Compare per diem interpreter salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average per diem interpreter salary over time

Compare per diem interpreter salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Per diem interpreter salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$42,700$20.52+1.0%
2024$42,300$20.32+3.7%
2023$40,700$19.58+5.5%
2022$38,500$18.50+2.3%
2021$37,600$18.08+4.2%

Recently added per diem interpreter salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
UvmhomehealthPer Diem Radiology Opportunities: X-Ray, CT, MRI, Mammography, and UltrasoundBurlington, VT12/09/2024$64,509
Vanderheyden HallEmergency Response Staff-Per Diem-OvernightsTroy, NY10/13/2024$31,305
Kaweah Health Care DistrictPer Diem InterpreterVisalia, CA09/18/2024$45,100
Albany Medical Health SystemASA V-HUC: General Pediatrics-Per Diem Night ShiftAlbany, NY09/11/2024$38,317
Multicare Health SystemPer Diem MA-C, Occupational Medicine Mill CreekMill Creek, WA03/22/2024$47,020

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