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How Much Does a Tour and Travel Guide Make?

A tour and travel guide in the US earns a median salary of $38,120 a year, or $18.33 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The average is $43,720, and the middle half earn between $32,910 and $47,700.

Median a year $38,120
Median an hour $18.33
Median a month $3,177
Average a year $43,720

Tour and travel guide pay range

What tour and travel guides earn at each point of the pay scale. The 10th percentile is a rough guide to starting pay.

Percentile A year An hour
10th (lowest 10%) $28,520 $13.71
25th $32,910 $15.82
Median (50th) $38,120 $18.33
75th $47,700 $22.93
90th (top 10%) $60,930 $29.29

The median is 25% less than the $50,980 median for all US jobs. About 53,500 people work as tour and travel guides in the US.

After tax and by period

A week
$733
Every two weeks
$1,466
Twice a month
$1,588
A month
$3,177

At the median salary, before tax.

Tour and travel guide salary by state

Sorted by average pay. Virgin Islands pays tour and travel guides the most, at $87,690 a year on average.

State Average Median Jobs After tax
Virgin Islands $87,690 $102,020 50
Arizona $70,860 $37,560 2,450 After tax
Washington $56,820 $54,160 1,420 After tax
District of Columbia $52,460 $49,210 380 After tax
Vermont $51,440 $45,920 140 After tax
New York $50,890 $44,450 2,870 After tax
California $49,180 $46,000 6,900 After tax
Georgia $49,040 $40,190 1,080 After tax
Alaska $48,510 $44,210 1,660 After tax
Hawaii $47,270 $45,940 1,370 After tax
Wyoming $46,880 $47,020 560 After tax
Rhode Island $46,710 $38,310 210 After tax
New Jersey $46,570 $36,640 390 After tax
New Hampshire $46,430 $41,600 260 After tax
South Carolina $44,790 $35,190 660 After tax
Maine $44,250 $44,940 270 After tax
Florida $44,060 $41,600 2,720 After tax
Colorado $43,520 $42,840 2,150 After tax
Oregon $43,170 $39,260 530 After tax
Connecticut $42,990 $35,090 220 After tax
Kansas $42,120 $43,700 400 After tax
Utah $42,080 $38,540 1,630 After tax
Louisiana $41,200 $32,060 580 After tax
Maryland $40,630 $40,310 510 After tax
Massachusetts $40,620 $37,840 1,760 After tax
Minnesota $40,600 $39,650 630 After tax
Idaho $40,470 $37,960 460 After tax
New Mexico $40,370 $37,080 360 After tax
Montana $39,800 $40,100 680 After tax
North Dakota $39,410 $35,360 90 After tax
Nevada $39,300 $39,360 620 After tax
Texas $38,680 $33,080 2,250 After tax
Illinois $38,420 $36,780 1,090 After tax
Kentucky $37,680 $36,070 1,010 After tax
South Dakota $37,640 $35,100 440 After tax
Michigan $36,650 $35,090 1,160 After tax
Pennsylvania $36,500 $32,910 1,970 After tax
Wisconsin $36,440 $30,160 910 After tax
Arkansas $36,240 $34,290 160 After tax
Tennessee $36,040 $33,760 1,840 After tax
Missouri $35,870 $31,980 1,360 After tax
Delaware $35,570 $33,210 330 After tax
Nebraska $34,400 $31,580 340 After tax
North Carolina $34,290 $32,570 1,650 After tax
West Virginia $34,140 $28,570 270 After tax
Ohio $33,430 $32,800 1,000 After tax
Oklahoma $33,140 $32,150 350 After tax
Puerto Rico $32,060 $27,860 490
Indiana $31,970 $31,030 700 After tax
Alabama $31,620 $31,700 410 After tax
Mississippi $29,200 $27,460 150 After tax
Iowa $28,730 $22,490 330 After tax

A dash means BLS did not publish that figure for the state.

Other personal care and service jobs

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), for “Tour and Travel Guides” (SOC 39-7010). Wages are before tax and leave out self-employed workers. All job salaries

About the Job Salaries

Job Salaries shows what more than 500 US jobs pay, from nurses and electricians to software developers and truck drivers. Each job has its median and average salary, hourly and monthly pay, the pay range from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10%, and a table of pay in every state. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, the largest survey of US pay, in its latest release.

How to use it

  1. 1 Search for a job or pick one from the list.
  2. 2 Read the median salary, hourly pay and the pay range.
  3. 3 Check the salary by state to see where the job pays most.
  4. 4 Open the take-home pay calculator to see the salary after tax.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a tour and travel guide make an hour?

The median hourly wage for a tour and travel guide is $18.33, and the average is $21.02. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $13.71 an hour and the top 10% over $29.29.

How much does a tour and travel guide make a month?

At the median salary of $38,120, a tour and travel guide earns about $3,177 a month before tax, or $1,466 every two weeks.

Which state pays tour and travel guides the most?

Virgin Islands has the highest average pay for a tour and travel guide, at $87,690 a year. Next are Arizona and Washington. Pay is usually higher where living costs are higher, so compare take-home pay too.

What is the starting salary for a tour and travel guide?

The lowest-paid 10% of tour and travel guides earn less than $28,520 a year, and the lowest 25% less than $32,910. That is a fair guide to starting pay, which depends on the state, the employer and your experience.

How much do the highest-paid tour and travel guides make?

The top 10% earn more than $60,930 a year, and the top 25% more than $47,700.