Travel Agents
Travel Agents (SOC 41-3041) earn a median $50,160 a year ($24.11 an hour) in the United States, with 55,110 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Nevada.
What travel agents do
Travel agents plan and sell transportation and lodging for customers. They talk with the customer to settle on the destination, mode of travel, dates, budget, and accommodations. They work out the cost of the trip using calculators, computers, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote the price of a package tour, and they book transportation and hotels by computer or phone. They take payment, print or request carrier tickets, and give customers brochures and publications with travel information covering things like customs, sights, and entry rules abroad. They put together and sell tour packages and travel incentives that carriers offer, explaining what each includes, keep records on clients, vendors, and travel packages, and may help clients with travel problems. Corporate travel agent, business travel consultant, and booking agent are other names for the job.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report an associate degree as the usual education level (about 37 percent).
Also called: Auto Travel Counselor, Beach Expert, Booking Agent, Business Travel Consultant, Certified Travel Counselor.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $16.64 | $20.17 | $24.11 | $30.32 | $36.86 | $26.28 | 55,110 |
| Annual | $34,610 | $41,950 | $50,160 | $63,060 | $76,660 | $54,660 | ||
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 travel agents 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 | ||||||
| Nevada | Hourly | $20.40 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $31.38 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $42,420 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $65,270 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $18.08 | $22.80 | $29.60 | $36.25 | $40.64 | $30.64 | 160 | 0.23 | 0.65 |
| Annual | $37,600 | $47,410 | $61,560 | $75,400 | $84,540 | $63,740 | ||||
| Montana | Hourly | $14.53 | $22.35 | $29.48 | $32.92 | $42.42 | $28.20 | 200 | 0.39 | 1.11 |
| Annual | $30,230 | $46,500 | $61,330 | $68,480 | $88,230 | $58,660 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $17.37 | $22.07 | $29.37 | $35.28 | $37.29 | $28.48 | 1,660 | 0.39 | 1.09 |
| Annual | $36,140 | $45,900 | $61,090 | $73,370 | $77,560 | $59,240 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $20.22 | $23.51 | $29.15 | $34.60 | $41.65 | $30.68 | 650 | 0.38 | 1.08 |
| Annual | $42,060 | $48,890 | $60,640 | $71,970 | $86,630 | $63,810 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Florida | Hourly | $16.86 | $18.87 | $24.07 | $30.55 | $37.49 | $26.27 | 9,430 | 0.95 | 2.68 |
| Annual | $35,060 | $39,260 | $50,060 | $63,540 | $77,970 | $54,630 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $18.61 | $21.96 | $24.53 | $28.25 | $36.04 | $26.50 | 4,760 | 0.26 | 0.74 |
| Annual | $38,720 | $45,670 | $51,030 | $58,760 | $74,970 | $55,120 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $15.26 | $20.46 | $23.80 | $29.84 | $33.70 | $25.16 | 4,310 | 0.31 | 0.86 |
| Annual | $31,740 | $42,550 | $49,500 | $62,060 | $70,090 | $52,330 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $17.63 | $23.07 | $26.72 | $35.33 | $46.05 | $29.46 | 3,180 | 0.33 | 0.92 |
| Annual | $36,680 | $47,990 | $55,580 | $73,480 | $95,780 | $61,270 | ||||
| Georgia | Hourly | $14.51 | $17.13 | $23.50 | $28.87 | $36.87 | $24.13 | 2,300 | 0.47 | 1.33 |
| Annual | $30,170 | $35,630 | $48,880 | $60,050 | $76,700 | $50,200 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Bozeman, MT | Hourly | $22.52 | $23.84 | $32.42 | $36.60 | $46.93 | $31.80 | 60 | 0.80 | 2.26 |
| Annual | $46,840 | $49,580 | $67,440 | $76,120 | $97,610 | $66,150 | ||||
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | Hourly | $21.51 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $30.48 | $31.20 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $44,740 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $63,400 | $64,900 | ||||
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | Hourly | $22.81 | $24.72 | $30.23 | $36.31 | $41.65 | $32.04 | 320 | 0.78 | 2.21 |
| Annual | $47,450 | $51,410 | $62,870 | $75,520 | $86,630 | $66,650 | ||||
| Bend, OR | Hourly | $23.24 | $24.06 | $29.60 | $30.80 | $33.83 | $28.21 | 40 | 0.36 | 1.00 |
| Annual | $48,340 | $50,030 | $61,570 | $64,060 | $70,360 | $58,670 | ||||
| New Haven, CT | Hourly | $17.81 | $23.91 | $29.49 | $35.24 | $50.04 | $30.91 | 50 | 0.18 | 0.51 |
| Annual | $37,050 | $49,730 | $61,330 | $73,300 | $104,090 | $64,290 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $17.60 | $18.80 | $24.38 | $36.08 | $37.59 | $26.89 | 4,560 | 1.62 | 4.56 |
| Annual | $36,610 | $39,110 | $50,720 | $75,040 | $78,190 | $55,940 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $17.38 | $23.07 | $28.09 | $36.04 | $45.22 | $29.55 | 3,610 | 0.38 | 1.07 |
| Annual | $36,140 | $47,990 | $58,430 | $74,970 | $94,050 | $61,450 | ||||
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Hourly | $17.10 | $19.64 | $23.41 | $30.25 | $37.49 | $26.23 | 2,190 | 1.55 | 4.38 |
| Annual | $35,580 | $40,840 | $48,680 | $62,920 | $77,970 | $54,550 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $18.57 | $22.28 | $24.25 | $27.78 | $35.64 | $26.14 | 2,160 | 0.34 | 0.97 |
| Annual | $38,630 | $46,350 | $50,440 | $57,780 | $74,140 | $54,370 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $18.42 | $21.80 | $23.64 | $29.36 | $38.22 | $26.81 | 1,740 | 0.39 | 1.09 |
| Annual | $38,300 | $45,340 | $49,160 | $61,070 | $79,500 | $55,760 | ||||
Top industries employing travel agents
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services employ 82.4% of travel agents nationally (45,410 jobs) at a median $49,650 a year ($23.87 an hour), followed by Management of Companies and Enterprises (4.9%) and Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (3.0%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services NAICS 561500 | 45,410 | 82.4% | $49,650 | $23.87 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100 | 2,690 | 4.9% | $63,400 | $30.48 |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation NAICS 483100 | 1,640 | 3.0% | $37,600 | $18.08 |
| Traveler Accommodation NAICS 721100 | 460 | 0.8% | $48,260 | $23.20 |
| Employment Services NAICS 561300 | 390 | 0.7% | $58,140 | $27.95 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (55,110). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $43,810 for travel agents in May 2021 and $50,160 in May 2025, with employment of 37,190 and 55,110.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $43,810 | $21.06 | 37,190 |
| May 2022 | $46,400 | $22.31 | 53,180 |
| May 2023 | $47,410 | $22.79 | 58,250 |
| May 2024 | $48,450 | $23.29 | 59,150 |
| May 2025 | $50,160 | $24.11 | 55,110 |
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
51 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 | Nevada profile | $30.48 | $63,400 | $42,420 | $63,400 | ** | ** | ** |
| 2 | District of Columbia profile | $29.60 | $61,560 | $37,600 | $84,540 | 160 | 0.23 | 0.65 |
| 3 | Montana profile | $29.48 | $61,330 | $30,230 | $88,230 | 200 | 0.39 | 1.11 |
| 4 | New Jersey profile | $29.37 | $61,090 | $36,140 | $77,560 | 1,660 | 0.39 | 1.09 |
| 5 | Connecticut profile | $29.15 | $60,640 | $42,060 | $86,630 | 650 | 0.38 | 1.08 |
| 6 | Vermont profile | $29.12 | $60,560 | $36,270 | $84,690 | 120 | 0.41 | 1.15 |
| 7 | Rhode Island profile | $28.75 | $59,790 | $40,370 | $79,990 | 250 | 0.51 | 1.43 |
| 8 | Oregon profile | $27.31 | $56,810 | $47,600 | $72,490 | 620 | 0.32 | 0.89 |
| 9 | Utah profile | $27.25 | $56,670 | $35,210 | $74,440 | 440 | 0.25 | 0.72 |
| 10 | Colorado profile | $27.20 | $56,570 | $42,930 | $80,660 | 1,100 | 0.38 | 1.08 |
| 11 | Massachusetts profile | $27.14 | $56,450 | $35,520 | $80,500 | 1,810 | 0.50 | 1.41 |
| 12 | North Carolina profile | $27.01 | $56,180 | $35,170 | $87,540 | 1,250 | 0.25 | 0.71 |
| 13 | Tennessee profile | $26.75 | $55,640 | $42,400 | $69,180 | 540 | 0.17 | 0.47 |
| 14 | New York profile | $26.72 | $55,580 | $36,680 | $95,780 | 3,180 | 0.33 | 0.92 |
| 15 | Washington profile | $26.57 | $55,260 | $45,190 | $92,390 | 1,710 | 0.48 | 1.36 |
| 16 | Kansas profile | $25.77 | $53,600 | $38,100 | $78,810 | 250 | 0.18 | 0.50 |
| 17 | Arizona profile | $24.90 | $51,800 | $33,390 | $80,760 | 1,100 | 0.34 | 0.96 |
| 18 | California profile | $24.53 | $51,030 | $38,720 | $74,970 | 4,760 | 0.26 | 0.74 |
| 19 | Florida profile | $24.07 | $50,060 | $35,060 | $77,970 | 9,430 | 0.95 | 2.68 |
| 20 | Nebraska profile | $23.89 | $49,690 | $36,220 | $59,320 | 240 | 0.24 | 0.67 |
| 21 | Texas profile | $23.80 | $49,500 | $31,740 | $70,090 | 4,310 | 0.31 | 0.86 |
| 22 | Kentucky profile | $23.74 | $49,370 | $36,520 | $113,740 | 220 | 0.11 | 0.32 |
| 23 | Maryland profile | $23.63 | $49,160 | $32,160 | $61,950 | 360 | 0.13 | 0.36 |
| 24 | Illinois profile | $23.60 | $49,090 | $37,200 | $77,630 | 2,120 | 0.35 | 0.98 |
| 25 | Mississippi profile | $23.58 | $49,050 | $34,200 | $87,570 | 160 | 0.14 | 0.39 |
| 26 | Georgia profile | $23.50 | $48,880 | $30,170 | $76,700 | 2,300 | 0.47 | 1.33 |
| 27 | Indiana profile | $23.33 | $48,530 | $31,000 | $84,240 | 640 | 0.20 | 0.57 |
| 28 | Idaho profile | $23.13 | $48,110 | $28,520 | $84,070 | 220 | 0.26 | 0.73 |
| 29 | Wyoming profile | $23.09 | $48,030 | $28,020 | $76,850 | 50 | 0.18 | 0.50 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania profile | $22.94 | $47,720 | $27,450 | $78,190 | 1,470 | 0.24 | 0.68 |
| 31 | Alaska profile | $22.91 | $47,650 | $44,670 | $61,860 | 190 | 0.57 | 1.62 |
| 32 | Alabama profile | $22.90 | $47,640 | $38,910 | $63,240 | 380 | 0.18 | 0.50 |
| 33 | Hawaii profile | $22.87 | $47,560 | $29,120 | $94,990 | 580 | 0.92 | 2.59 |
| 34 | Minnesota profile | $22.72 | $47,260 | $30,860 | $81,100 | 890 | 0.30 | 0.85 |
| 35 | New Hampshire profile | $22.69 | $47,190 | $30,780 | $62,780 | 130 | 0.19 | 0.55 |
| 36 | Wisconsin profile | $22.64 | $47,080 | $28,720 | $60,360 | 810 | 0.27 | 0.77 |
| 37 | Michigan profile | $22.23 | $46,250 | $36,820 | $62,530 | 1,150 | 0.26 | 0.74 |
| 38 | Ohio profile | $22.11 | $46,000 | $34,580 | $63,370 | 1,140 | 0.21 | 0.58 |
| 39 | Missouri profile | $21.86 | $45,460 | $28,600 | $64,760 | 1,500 | 0.51 | 1.44 |
| 40 | Iowa profile | $21.85 | $45,440 | $32,710 | $62,180 | 290 | 0.19 | 0.53 |
| 41 | Virginia profile | $21.76 | $45,260 | $30,140 | $75,910 | 1,050 | 0.26 | 0.72 |
| 42 | West Virginia profile | $21.52 | $44,760 | $29,130 | $50,820 | 250 | 0.35 | 1.00 |
| 43 | North Dakota profile | $21.51 | $44,740 | $34,920 | $75,440 | 150 | 0.34 | 0.97 |
| 44 | New Mexico profile | $21.49 | $44,700 | $26,290 | $48,630 | 120 | 0.14 | 0.40 |
| 45 | South Dakota profile | $21.40 | $44,510 | $36,700 | $61,840 | 200 | 0.43 | 1.20 |
| 46 | Oklahoma profile | $17.78 | $36,980 | $21,120 | $56,020 | 600 | 0.35 | 0.99 |
| 47 | Arkansas profile | $17.60 | $36,600 | $35,870 | $61,880 | 180 | 0.14 | 0.38 |
| 48 | Louisiana profile | $17.29 | $35,970 | $30,850 | $82,200 | 310 | 0.16 | 0.45 |
| 49 | South Carolina profile | $16.62 | $34,560 | $26,120 | $62,150 | 680 | 0.30 | 0.83 |
| – | Delaware profile | * | * | * | * | 210 | 0.44 | 1.24 |
| – | Maine profile | * | * | * | * | 120 | 0.19 | 0.54 |
Part of Sales and Related 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 41-3041 Travel Agents.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- 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 41-3041, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 41-3041.00, 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.