Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In Flagstaff, AZ, tour and travel guides earn $37,980 at the median, or about $18.26 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers. Note: the mean (average) wage is $70K, significantly higher than the median. This typically reflects a mix of employment settings including academic and private practice positions. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.33), that's roughly $37,855 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,921/month, about 72.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $38K get you in Flagstaff?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Flagstaff’s Regional Price Parity (100.33). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tour and travel guides
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What this looks like in Flagstaff
Tour and travel guides pay in Flagstaff tracks closely to the national median, $38K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 0% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,921/month, which is 72.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.33) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tour and travel guides in metros near Flagstaff, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Prescott Valley-Prescott | $39K | $40K |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $45K | , |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $43K | $38K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $52K | $45K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Flagstaff, AZ
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $38K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $44K spread from bottom to top.
Tour and Travel Guides pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tour and Travel Guides salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $54K | +42% | 1,420 |
| District of Columbia | $49K | +29% | 380 |
| Wyoming | $47K | +23% | 560 |
| California | $46K | +21% | 6,900 |
| Hawaii | $46K | +21% | 1,370 |
| Vermont | $46K | +20% | 140 |
| Maine | $45K | +18% | 270 |
| New York | $44K | +17% | 2,870 |
| Alaska | $44K | +16% | 1,660 |
| Kansas | $44K | +15% | 400 |
| Colorado | $43K | +12% | 2,150 |
| Florida | $42K | +9% | 2,720 |
| New Hampshire | $42K | +9% | 260 |
| Maryland | $40K | +6% | 510 |
| Georgia | $40K | +5% | 1,080 |
| Montana | $40K | +5% | 680 |
| Minnesota | $40K | +4% | 630 |
| Nevada | $39K | +3% | 620 |
| Oregon | $39K | +3% | 530 |
| Utah | $39K | +1% | 1,630 |
| Rhode Island | $38K | +0% | 210 |
| Idaho | $38K | -0% | 460 |
| Massachusetts | $38K | -1% | 1,760 |
| Arizona | $38K | -1% | 2,450 |
| New Mexico | $37K | -3% | 360 |
| Illinois | $37K | -4% | 1,090 |
| New Jersey | $37K | -4% | 390 |
| Kentucky | $36K | -5% | 1,010 |
| North Dakota | $35K | -7% | 90 |
| South Carolina | $35K | -8% | 660 |
| South Dakota | $35K | -8% | 440 |
| Connecticut | $35K | -8% | 220 |
| Michigan | $35K | -8% | 1,160 |
| Arkansas | $34K | -10% | 160 |
| Tennessee | $34K | -11% | 1,840 |
| Delaware | $33K | -13% | 330 |
| Texas | $33K | -13% | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $33K | -14% | 1,970 |
| Ohio | $33K | -14% | 1,000 |
| North Carolina | $33K | -15% | 1,650 |
| Oklahoma | $32K | -16% | 350 |
| Louisiana | $32K | -16% | 580 |
| Missouri | $32K | -16% | 1,360 |
| Alabama | $32K | -17% | 410 |
| Nebraska | $32K | -17% | 340 |
| Indiana | $31K | -19% | 700 |
| Wisconsin | $30K | -21% | 910 |
| West Virginia | $29K | -25% | 270 |
| Mississippi | $27K | -28% | 150 |
| Iowa | $22K | -41% | 330 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tour and travel guides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Flagstaff numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Flagstaff?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $38K, rent takes 72.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,921/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 Flagstaff?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,921/month FMR, rent would take 103% 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 Flagstaff?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $38K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 0% difference.
How does Flagstaff compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
Flagstaff pays $38K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s +0%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.33), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — below the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in Flagstaff, AZ?
The median is $37,980 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $75,270. The mean (average) is $70,280, reflecting that some workers earn substantially more. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $38K enough to live in Flagstaff?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,634/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,921/month, which eats 72.9% 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 Flagstaff?
Flagstaff has a Regional Price Parity of 100.33 (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 $37,855 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.