In United States of America, published freelance rates for a transcriber are $2 an audio minute.
Freelance
$2 an audio minute
Sources
2 documents
What transcriber work in United States of America pays, according to the documents that set rates there, each quoted as printed. How the pay guide works →
What the published rates say
Audio minute
Transcription, per minute of audioNWU · Publisher’s rates
$2
Transcription, per audio minute (median range)EFA · Survey · 24 Mar 2026
$1.50–$1.75
Hour
Transcription, per hour (median range)EFA · Survey · 24 Mar 2026
$52.50–$57.50
Each published rate as a day's pay
Freelance · 1 figure
$52.50–$57.50 an hour
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance | Transcription, per hour (median range) | $52.50–$57.50 an hour | $440 | EFA · Survey · 24 Mar 2026 |
Every figure, as printed
Open a row for the wording in the document and its dates.
Printed
Transcription | $1.50–1.75 | $52.50–57.50DocumentEFA editorial rate chart, 2026 (median rate ranges) · Survey StatusIn force · 24 Mar 2026
Printed
Transcription | $1.50–1.75DocumentEFA editorial rate chart, 2026 (median rate ranges) · Survey StatusIn force · 24 Mar 2026
Printed
a minimum of $2 per minute of audioDocumentThe Nation freelancer agreement (negotiated with the NWU), last updated May 2025 · Publisher’s rates StatusIn force
Questions people ask
In United States of America, published freelance rates for a transcriber are $2 an audio minute.
EFA, NWU, in 2 documents.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count