How much does a Linguist make?

As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Linguist in the United States is $68,443. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $59,404 to $75,608, with most professionals earning between $51,174 and $82,131.

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Linguist Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Linguist Salary $51,174 US April 01, 2025
25th Percentile Linguist Salary $59,404 US April 01, 2025
50th Percentile Linguist Salary $68,443 US April 01, 2025
75th Percentile Linguist Salary $75,608 US April 01, 2025
90th Percentile Linguist Salary $82,131 US April 01, 2025
25% $59,404 10% $51,174 90% $82,131 75% $75,608 $68,443 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What is a Linguist ?

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It involves analysing language form, language meaning, and language in context. The earliest activities in the documentation and description of language have been attributed to the 6th-century-BC Indian grammarian Pāṇini who wrote a formal description of the Sanskrit language in his Aṣṭādhyāyī. Linguists traditionally analyse human language by observing an interplay between sound and meaning. Phonetics is the study of speech and non-speech sounds, and delves into their acoustic and articulatory properties. The study of language meaning, on the ...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/25/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
59404
75608
68443

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
59404
75608
68443
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Linguist in the United States. The base salary for Linguist ranges from $59,404 to $75,608 with the average base salary of $68,443. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $59,404 to $75,608 with the average total cash compensation of $68,443.

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59404
75608

 

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