Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (SOC 43-4181) earn a median $44,390 a year ($21.34 an hour) in the United States, with 118,710 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Michigan.
What reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks do
Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks book and confirm transportation or lodging, or sell tickets for transportation. They confer with customers about service requirements and travel preferences, determine whether space is available on the dates requested, and assign the space when it is. The agent then assembles and issues documents such as tickets, travel insurance policies, or itineraries. Agents who work at an airport or terminal examine passenger documentation to determine destinations and assign boarding passes, check baggage and cargo, direct passengers to the right place for loading, help passengers who need special assistance to board or disembark, and announce arrivals and departures over a public address system. They also trace lost, delayed, or misdirected baggage. Some deliver tickets or contact groups about package tours, or give tourists travel information. Cashiers, travel agents, and hotel desk clerks who sell tickets for local transportation are excluded and classified elsewhere.
Typical entry: O*NET survey respondents most often report a high school diploma or equivalent as the education level for this occupation.
Also called: Aircraft Agent, Aircraft Cabin Agent, Airline Agent, Airline Reservation Agent, Airline Reservationist.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $15.45 | $18.20 | $21.34 | $28.68 | $37.57 | $23.86 | 118,710 |
| Annual | $32,140 | $37,850 | $44,390 | $59,640 | $78,150 | $49,630 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $16.17 | $18.38 | $28.95 | $37.28 | $38.27 | $28.36 | 1,980 | 0.45 | 0.59 |
| Annual | $33,640 | $38,230 | $60,220 | $77,530 | $79,600 | $58,980 | ||||
| Minnesota | Hourly | $21.61 | $21.61 | $28.89 | $37.95 | $41.76 | $29.93 | 2,160 | 0.73 | 0.96 |
| Annual | $44,940 | $44,940 | $60,090 | $78,940 | $86,860 | $62,260 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $20.01 | $21.73 | $23.76 | $27.22 | $36.76 | $25.54 | 10,580 | 0.58 | 0.76 |
| Annual | $41,630 | $45,200 | $49,420 | $56,620 | $76,450 | $53,110 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $21.19 | $21.60 | $23.33 | $30.71 | $38.06 | $27.12 | 2,970 | 0.84 | 1.10 |
| Annual | $44,080 | $44,920 | $48,520 | $63,870 | $79,170 | $56,400 | ||||
| Georgia | Hourly | $18.26 | $18.51 | $23.01 | $36.96 | $36.96 | $25.86 | 5,880 | 1.20 | 1.58 |
| Annual | $37,990 | $38,490 | $47,860 | $76,880 | $76,880 | $53,790 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $14.36 | $14.76 | $18.38 | $27.69 | $38.04 | $22.07 | 18,410 | 1.31 | 1.71 |
| Annual | $29,870 | $30,700 | $38,220 | $57,590 | $79,110 | $45,900 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $15.45 | $17.66 | $18.99 | $23.43 | $37.80 | $22.51 | 14,740 | 1.49 | 1.94 |
| Annual | $32,130 | $36,740 | $39,490 | $48,730 | $78,620 | $46,820 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $20.01 | $21.73 | $23.76 | $27.22 | $36.76 | $25.54 | 10,580 | 0.58 | 0.76 |
| Annual | $41,630 | $45,200 | $49,420 | $56,620 | $76,450 | $53,110 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $18.20 | $18.39 | $23.01 | $28.51 | $37.11 | $24.30 | 7,080 | 1.16 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $37,850 | $38,260 | $47,850 | $59,290 | $77,200 | $50,530 | ||||
| Georgia | Hourly | $18.26 | $18.51 | $23.01 | $36.96 | $36.96 | $25.86 | 5,880 | 1.20 | 1.58 |
| Annual | $37,990 | $38,490 | $47,860 | $76,880 | $76,880 | $53,790 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $16.19 | $18.84 | $35.04 | $38.23 | $38.27 | $30.09 | 1,490 | 0.78 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $33,670 | $39,180 | $72,880 | $79,510 | $79,600 | $62,590 | ||||
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | Hourly | $14.30 | $17.71 | $28.98 | $36.75 | $36.75 | $27.15 | 80 | 0.40 | 0.52 |
| Annual | $29,740 | $36,840 | $60,280 | $76,440 | $76,440 | $56,470 | ||||
| Albuquerque, NM | Hourly | $18.65 | $21.49 | $27.59 | $38.61 | $38.61 | $27.71 | 510 | 1.25 | 1.64 |
| Annual | $38,800 | $44,710 | $57,390 | $80,300 | $80,300 | $57,640 | ||||
| Tulsa, OK | Hourly | $19.19 | $22.76 | $27.26 | $39.47 | $39.47 | $29.35 | 300 | 0.65 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $39,920 | $47,340 | $56,690 | $82,100 | $82,100 | $61,040 | ||||
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | Hourly | $18.44 | $21.18 | $27.22 | $38.59 | $38.59 | $27.81 | 1,350 | 1.20 | 1.57 |
| Annual | $38,350 | $44,050 | $56,610 | $80,260 | $80,260 | $57,840 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $14.71 | $15.04 | $18.39 | $27.84 | $37.94 | $22.40 | 10,630 | 2.63 | 3.44 |
| Annual | $30,590 | $31,280 | $38,250 | $57,910 | $78,910 | $46,590 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $17.95 | $18.64 | $20.00 | $22.68 | $35.85 | $22.65 | 7,210 | 0.76 | 1.00 |
| Annual | $37,340 | $38,780 | $41,600 | $47,180 | $74,560 | $47,110 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $16.33 | $18.20 | $18.84 | $28.05 | $38.52 | $23.16 | 6,750 | 2.39 | 3.14 |
| Annual | $33,960 | $37,850 | $39,190 | $58,350 | $80,110 | $48,170 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $18.20 | $18.39 | $23.01 | $28.51 | $37.11 | $24.30 | 6,660 | 1.48 | 1.93 |
| Annual | $37,850 | $38,260 | $47,850 | $59,290 | $77,200 | $50,540 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $20.10 | $21.78 | $24.58 | $26.39 | $36.76 | $25.62 | 5,340 | 0.85 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $41,810 | $45,300 | $51,130 | $54,900 | $76,450 | $53,300 | ||||
Top industries employing reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
Scheduled Air Transportation employ 63.9% of reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks nationally (75,800 jobs) at a median $45,420 a year ($21.84 an hour), followed by Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (14.3%) and Support Activities for Air Transportation (10.1%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Air Transportation NAICS 481100 | 75,800 | 63.9% | $45,420 | $21.84 |
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services NAICS 561500 | 16,970 | 14.3% | $44,310 | $21.30 |
| Support Activities for Air Transportation NAICS 488100 | 11,940 | 10.1% | $39,310 | $18.90 |
| Traveler Accommodation NAICS 721100 | 4,120 | 3.5% | $42,420 | $20.40 |
| Rail Transportation NAICS 482100 | 900 | 0.8% | $61,920 | $29.77 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (118,710). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $39,900 for reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks in May 2021 and $44,390 in May 2025, with employment of 100,860 and 118,710.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $39,900 | $19.18 | 100,860 |
| May 2022 | $39,160 | $18.83 | 119,130 |
| May 2023 | $40,610 | $19.52 | 119,270 |
| May 2024 | $41,460 | $19.94 | 127,440 |
| May 2025 | $44,390 | $21.34 | 118,710 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
50 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan profile | $28.95 | $60,220 | $33,640 | $79,600 | 1,980 | 0.45 | 0.59 |
| 2 | Minnesota profile | $28.89 | $60,090 | $44,940 | $86,860 | 2,160 | 0.73 | 0.96 |
| 3 | California profile | $23.76 | $49,420 | $41,630 | $76,450 | 10,580 | 0.58 | 0.76 |
| 4 | Washington profile | $23.33 | $48,520 | $44,080 | $79,170 | 2,970 | 0.84 | 1.10 |
| 5 | Georgia profile | $23.01 | $47,860 | $37,990 | $76,880 | 5,880 | 1.20 | 1.58 |
| 6 | Illinois profile | $23.01 | $47,850 | $37,850 | $77,200 | 7,080 | 1.16 | 1.52 |
| 7 | New Mexico profile | $23.01 | $47,850 | $32,110 | $80,300 | 600 | 0.69 | 0.91 |
| 8 | Oklahoma profile | $22.76 | $47,340 | $40,860 | $81,050 | 920 | 0.54 | 0.71 |
| 9 | District of Columbia profile | $22.38 | $46,550 | $37,620 | $63,320 | 100 | 0.15 | 0.19 |
| 10 | Colorado profile | $22.10 | $45,960 | $38,410 | $79,520 | 3,650 | 1.27 | 1.66 |
| 11 | Alaska profile | $22.05 | $45,870 | $38,310 | $79,200 | 1,000 | 3.07 | 4.02 |
| 12 | Kentucky profile | $22.04 | $45,840 | $34,490 | $77,130 | 1,860 | 0.93 | 1.21 |
| 13 | Arizona profile | $21.98 | $45,710 | $34,740 | $77,980 | 3,020 | 0.93 | 1.22 |
| 14 | Rhode Island profile | $21.84 | $45,420 | $35,660 | $77,840 | 210 | 0.41 | 0.54 |
| 15 | Hawaii profile | $21.65 | $45,020 | $35,890 | $71,670 | 1,590 | 2.53 | 3.32 |
| 16 | North Carolina profile | $21.46 | $44,630 | $35,690 | $77,980 | 5,760 | 1.17 | 1.53 |
| 17 | Louisiana profile | $21.41 | $44,520 | $27,770 | $74,260 | 520 | 0.27 | 0.35 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania profile | $21.34 | $44,380 | $31,990 | $81,540 | 4,020 | 0.66 | 0.87 |
| 19 | Massachusetts profile | $21.26 | $44,230 | $40,750 | $62,640 | 1,560 | 0.43 | 0.56 |
| 20 | Virginia profile | $21.22 | $44,140 | $38,040 | $77,340 | 2,540 | 0.62 | 0.81 |
| 21 | South Carolina profile | $21.03 | $43,740 | $21,960 | $76,800 | 1,010 | 0.44 | 0.58 |
| 22 | Delaware profile | $20.74 | $43,140 | $37,120 | $60,310 | 70 | 0.15 | 0.19 |
| 23 | Montana profile | $20.73 | $43,110 | $26,430 | $73,430 | 480 | 0.93 | 1.22 |
| 24 | New York profile | $20.67 | $42,990 | $37,160 | $76,810 | 5,510 | 0.57 | 0.74 |
| 25 | Arkansas profile | $20.21 | $42,040 | $30,310 | $80,990 | 430 | 0.33 | 0.43 |
| 26 | Indiana profile | $19.91 | $41,400 | $34,810 | $76,830 | 550 | 0.17 | 0.22 |
| 27 | Nevada profile | $19.71 | $41,000 | $34,770 | $66,440 | 2,660 | 1.72 | 2.25 |
| 28 | New Hampshire profile | $19.67 | $40,920 | $37,240 | $54,930 | 150 | 0.21 | 0.28 |
| 29 | Maryland profile | $19.59 | $40,750 | $37,380 | $76,780 | 720 | 0.26 | 0.34 |
| 30 | Maine profile | $19.57 | $40,700 | $34,930 | $62,200 | 410 | 0.64 | 0.84 |
| 31 | Oregon profile | $19.51 | $40,570 | $35,360 | $71,180 | 1,340 | 0.68 | 0.89 |
| 32 | Missouri profile | $19.50 | $40,560 | $28,600 | $76,910 | 1,770 | 0.60 | 0.79 |
| 33 | Idaho profile | $19.34 | $40,230 | $33,610 | $79,770 | 420 | 0.50 | 0.65 |
| 34 | Florida profile | $18.99 | $39,490 | $32,130 | $78,620 | 14,740 | 1.49 | 1.94 |
| 35 | Connecticut profile | $18.93 | $39,380 | $34,880 | $71,180 | 510 | 0.30 | 0.39 |
| 36 | New Jersey profile | $18.64 | $38,780 | $38,780 | $76,910 | 2,780 | 0.65 | 0.85 |
| 37 | Utah profile | $18.59 | $38,660 | $36,330 | $77,530 | 3,260 | 1.88 | 2.46 |
| 38 | Tennessee profile | $18.53 | $38,530 | $35,750 | $81,020 | 1,410 | 0.43 | 0.56 |
| 39 | Vermont profile | $18.42 | $38,310 | $37,660 | $45,420 | 140 | 0.47 | 0.62 |
| 40 | Texas profile | $18.38 | $38,220 | $29,870 | $79,110 | 18,410 | 1.31 | 1.71 |
| 41 | Nebraska profile | $18.20 | $37,850 | $34,610 | $50,390 | 650 | 0.64 | 0.84 |
| 42 | Mississippi profile | $18.14 | $37,730 | $25,470 | $71,180 | 170 | 0.15 | 0.19 |
| 43 | Iowa profile | $17.73 | $36,880 | $30,490 | $75,790 | 200 | 0.13 | 0.17 |
| 44 | Alabama profile | $17.61 | $36,620 | $29,520 | $78,100 | 150 | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| 45 | Ohio profile | $17.34 | $36,070 | $33,940 | $78,300 | 1,200 | 0.22 | 0.28 |
| 46 | Wisconsin profile | $17.28 | $35,950 | $30,170 | $50,600 | 880 | 0.30 | 0.39 |
| 47 | South Dakota profile | $17.24 | $35,860 | $30,220 | $48,160 | 230 | 0.50 | 0.66 |
| 48 | Kansas profile | $16.80 | $34,940 | $30,360 | $53,070 | 180 | 0.12 | 0.16 |
| 49 | North Dakota profile | $16.77 | $34,870 | $34,520 | $52,010 | 150 | 0.35 | 0.46 |
| 50 | West Virginia profile | $16.36 | $34,030 | $27,350 | $42,400 | 100 | 0.14 | 0.19 |
Part of Office and Administrative Support Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 43-4181 Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 43-4181, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 43-4181.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.