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Arts & Media · Charlottesville

Interpreters and Translators Salary

in Charlottesville, VA

Interpreters and Translators in Charlottesville, VA make a median of $65,910 a year, or about $31.69 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $130K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.15), that's roughly $66,475 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,824/month, about 42.1% of take-home, which is tight.

Our verdict:Tight. Expect trade-offs
Median pay
$66K
per year, before taxes
Hourly
$31.69
median hourly rate
Starting out
$49K
10th percentile
Top earners
$130K
90th percentile

Where the paycheck goes

What $66K actually covers in Charlottesville, month by month

Take-home pay
after estimated taxes
$4,290/mo
Rent
2-bedroom median (HUD)
-$1,824/mo
Groceries
scaled to local prices
-$389/mo
Utilities
power, water, internet
-$194/mo
Transportation
car, gas, transit
-$341/mo
Healthcare *
employee share only
-$226/mo
Rent as % of take-home42.5% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Left over each month$1,316/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlottesville’s Regional Price Parity (99.15). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.

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About interpreters and translators

Education: Bachelor's degree
U.S. employed: 52,060
Charlottesville, VA employed: 40
Category: Arts & Media

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What this looks like in Charlottesville

Interpreters and translators pay in Charlottesville tracks closely to the national median, $66K locally vs. $60K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,824/month, which is 42.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.15) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for interpreters and translators in metros near Charlottesville, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
Richmond$78K$80K
Roanoke$55K$58K
Harrisonburg$41K$43K
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$95K$87K

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Charlottesville, VA

Bar chart showing Interpreters and Translators salary percentiles in Charlottesville, VA: 10th percentile $48,670, 25th percentile $56,290, median $65,910, 75th percentile $91,710, 90th percentile $129,560. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$49K25th$56KMedian$66K75th$92K90th$130K
Bar chart showing Interpreters and Translators salary percentiles in Charlottesville, VA: 10th percentile $48,670, 25th percentile $56,290, median $65,910, 75th percentile $91,710, 90th percentile $129,560. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level interpreters and translators (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $66K. Top earners bring in $130K or more, a $81K spread from bottom to top.

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Interpreters and Translators pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Interpreters and Translators salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
District of Columbia$110K+83%280
Maryland$89K+47%1,150
New York$84K+40%3,240
Rhode Island$82K+37%200
Massachusetts$73K+21%2,280
Colorado$72K+19%800
California$71K+18%5,560
Connecticut$68K+14%280
Minnesota$66K+10%1,030
Oregon$66K+10%660
Idaho$66K+10%300
Utah$66K+9%850
New Mexico$64K+6%360
Maine$63K+5%90
Wisconsin$63K+5%1,410
Virginia$63K+5%1,630
Vermont$62K+4%80
Washington$62K+3%1,250
Ohio$61K+2%2,030
New Jersey$59K-2%870
Georgia$58K-4%1,600
Mississippi$57K-5%80
Pennsylvania$57K-5%1,420
Missouri$57K-5%440
New Hampshire$56K-6%240
Illinois$55K-8%1,510
Kentucky$54K-11%480
South Dakota$53K-12%230
Nebraska$53K-12%570
Arkansas$52K-13%220
Tennessee$51K-15%710
South Carolina$51K-15%520
Nevada$50K-16%320
Arizona$50K-17%2,070
North Carolina$50K-17%1,780
Oklahoma$49K-19%320
Florida$49K-19%4,200
Louisiana$48K-20%120
North Dakota$48K-20%130
Iowa$48K-20%560
Indiana$48K-20%1,170
Kansas$48K-20%470
Montana$48K-20%60
Texas$48K-21%6,780
Alabama$46K-23%310
Michigan$45K-25%940
Hawaii$42K-30%60
12345

Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track interpreters and translators salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Charlottesville numbers change.

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Quick answers

The stuff people actually ask about this job

Can a interpreters and translator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlottesville?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $66K, rent takes 42.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,824/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for interpreters and translators in Charlottesville?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new interpreters and translators typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,239/month. At HUD’s $1,824/month FMR, rent would take 56% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is interpreters and translator a high-paying job in Charlottesville?

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $66K locally vs. $60K nationally, a 10% difference.

How does Charlottesville compare to the national average for interpreters and translators?

Charlottesville pays $66K median vs. the U.S. average of $60K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.15), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — still ahead of the national median.

How much do interpreters and translators make in Charlottesville, VA?

The median is $65,910 a year, that works out to about $32 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,670, and experienced interpreters and translators can clear $129,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $66K enough to live in Charlottesville?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,290/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,824/month, which eats 42.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

How far does a interpreters and translators salary go in Charlottesville?

Charlottesville has a Regional Price Parity of 99.15 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median interpreters and translators salary is worth about $66,475 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do interpreters and translators get paid the most?

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.

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