Travel agent earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level travel agent earnings begin at:

$36.86 per hour

$76,660 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level travel agent earnings begin at:

$30.32 per hour

$63,060 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level travel agent earnings begin at:

$24.11 per hour

$50,160 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level travel agent earnings begin at:

$20.17 per hour

$41,950 per year

10th percentile

Starting level travel agent earnings begin at:

$16.64 per hour

$34,610 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Travel agent salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Nevada $63,400
District of Columbia $61,560
Montana $61,330
New Jersey $61,090
Connecticut $60,640
Vermont $60,560
Rhode Island $59,790
Oregon $56,810
Utah $56,670
Colorado $56,570
Massachusetts $56,450
North Carolina $56,180
Tennessee $55,640
New York $55,580
Washington $55,260
Kansas $53,600
Arizona $51,800
California $51,030
Florida $50,060
Nebraska $49,690
Texas $49,500
Kentucky $49,370
Maryland $49,160
Illinois $49,090
Mississippi $49,050
Georgia $48,880
Indiana $48,530
Idaho $48,110
Wyoming $48,030
Pennsylvania $47,720
Alaska $47,650
Alabama $47,640
Hawaii $47,560
Minnesota $47,260
New Hampshire $47,190
Wisconsin $47,080
Michigan $46,250
Ohio $46,000
Missouri $45,460
Iowa $45,440
Virginia $45,260
West Virginia $44,760
North Dakota $44,740
New Mexico $44,700
South Dakota $44,510
Delaware $40,610
Oklahoma $36,980
Arkansas $36,600
Louisiana $35,970
South Carolina $34,560
Maine $33,460
Guam $25,100
Puerto Rico $18,660

How much does a Travel Agent earn?

In 2015, the ASTA Labor and Compensation report stated that in 2014, 86% of travel agents working at an agency (including both corporate and leisure agencies) were either salaried or earned a mix of salary/commission. The ASTA report found the average travel agent salary (when working for an agency) to be $34,181.

Experienced agents that booked primarily corporate travel earned an average travel agent salary of $40,677/year versus a salary of $32,249/year for an experienced agent booking primarily leisure travel. Experienced leisure agents bring home approximately $10,000 more compared to travel agents just entering the industry. Experienced corporate travel agent salaries are nearly $13,000 more per year compared to new corporate travel agents.

The ASTA 2014 Independent Agents Report cited that the average independent contractor agent (86% of which are home based) earns approximately $31,056 a year. However, like most small businesses, it takes most independent travel agents a good three to five years to start seeing profits they can live off of and quite a few travel agents never make it past the first or second year.

How do travel agent salaries compare to similar careers?

Travel agents earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than sailors but more than garbage collectors.

Career Median Salary
Sailor salary $52K
Ambulance dispatcher salary $53K
Hazardous materials removal worker salary $49K
Locksmith salary $51K
Meter reader salary $48K
Travel agent salary $50K
Maintenance worker salary $50K
Financial clerk salary $51K
Highway maintenance worker salary $50K
Garbage collector salary $50K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)