Interpreters and Translators in the Columbia Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Interpreters and Translators pay in Columbia, SC at a median of $52,200 per year ($25.09/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $60,170, the metro estimate is 13% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 170 interpreters and translators are employed across the Columbia MSA in SOC 27-3091.

The Columbia pay distribution spans from $41,340 at the 10th percentile to $70,860 at the 90th, a 1.7× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $49,810 and the 75th at $52,200, so half of Columbia-based interpreters and translators earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Columbia, SC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide SC estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.