SOC 27-3091 · Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro

Interpreters and Translators Salary in Kalamazoo, MI

The average salary for interpreters and translators in Kalamazoo, Michigan is $53,980 a year ($25.95 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $61,610: half of the 30 people in this job in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 20% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,848).

$53,980average per year

$25.95 / hourMedian $61,610Take-home ≈ $43,505

  • $26K10th
  • $26K25th
  • $62KMedian
  • $69K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

30people in this job
-20%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 3Michigan metros
95cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Interpreters and Translators pay range in Kalamazoo

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $26,100 a year or less, while the top 10% make $74,960 or more. The middle half of interpreters and translators in Kalamazoo earn between $26,100 and $68,600.

  • $26K10th
  • $26K25th
  • $62KMedian
  • $69K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$53,980$4,498$25.95
Median$61,610$5,134$29.62
Entry level (25th percentile)$26,100$2,175$12.55
Experienced (75th percentile)$68,600$5,717$32.98

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Interpreters and Translators salary after taxes in Kalamazoo

On the average salary of $53,980, a single filer in Kalamazoo takes home about $43,505 a year, or $3,625 a month and $1,673 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

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Is Kalamazoo a good place for interpreters and translators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Kalamazoo area are 5% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 94.8), so the average $53,980 buys what about $56,917 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Kalamazoo ($48,510). A typical home costs $279,752, or 5.2 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $53,980 is worth in another city

Interpreters and Translators salary in other Michigan cities

Kalamazoo ranks 1st of 3 Michigan metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Interpreters and Translators salaries in Michigan

Highest-paying cities for interpreters and translators

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($93,650).

Interpreters and Translators salary by city

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Interpreters and Translators salary in Kalamazoo: questions

How much do interpreters and translators make an hour in Kalamazoo?

$25.95 an hour on average, and $29.62 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level interpreters and translators salary in Kalamazoo?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $26,100 a year and the 25th percentile is $26,100, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the interpreters and translators take-home pay in Kalamazoo?

About $43,505 a year ($3,625 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $53,980.

Do interpreters and translators earn more in Kalamazoo than elsewhere?

The average here is 20% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,848).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-3091; area Kalamazoo-Portage, MI (28020). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.4%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.75, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.75).

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