Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In Minnesota, tour and travel guides earn $39,650 at the median, or about $19.06 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.6), which stretches that salary to about $42,819 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,384/month, about 50.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Minnesota. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $40K get you in Minnesota?
About tour and travel guides
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What this looks like in Minnesota
Tour and travel guides pay in Minnesota tracks closely to the national median, $40K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,384/month, which is 51% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.6 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Minnesota
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Tour and Travel Guides salary by metro in Minnesota
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $40K | +0% | 380 |
| Duluth | $34K | -15% | 40 |
Compare to other states
Track tour and travel guides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Minnesota numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Minnesota?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 51% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,384/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 Minnesota?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,874/month. At HUD’s $1,384/month FMR, rent would take 74% 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 Minnesota?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $40K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Minnesota compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
Minnesota pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.6), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in Minnesota?
The median is $39,650 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,230, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $46,040. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Minnesota?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,713/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,384/month, which eats 51% 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 Minnesota?
Minnesota has a Regional Price Parity of 92.6 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tour and travel guides salary is worth about $42,819 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.