Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In Alaska, tour and travel guides earn $44,210 at the median, or about $21.25 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 104.31), that's roughly $42,383 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,643/month, about 51.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Alaska. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $44K get you in Alaska?
About tour and travel guides
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What this looks like in Alaska
Alaska sits well above the national pay line for tour and travel guides, local pay runs about 16% higher than the U.S. median of $38K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,643/month, which is 52.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 104.31) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Alaska
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $44K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Tour and Travel Guides salary by metro in Alaska
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage | $44K | +0% | 620 |
| Fairbanks-College | $39K | -12% | 140 |
Compare to other states
Track tour and travel guides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Alaska numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Alaska?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $44K, rent takes 52.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,643/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tour and travel guides in Alaska?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,005/month. At HUD’s $1,643/month FMR, rent would take 82% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tour and travel guide a high-paying job in Alaska?
Local pay is 16% above the national median — $44K here vs. $38K nationally.
How does Alaska compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
Alaska pays $44K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s +16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 104.31), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in Alaska?
The median is $44,210 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,410, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $58,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $44K enough to live in Alaska?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,130/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,643/month, which eats 52.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tour and travel guides salary go in Alaska?
Alaska has a Regional Price Parity of 104.31 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tour and travel guides salary is worth about $42,383 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tour and travel guides get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.