Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In North Dakota, tour and travel guides earn $35,360 at the median, or about $17 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.89), which stretches that salary to about $39,780 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,034/month, about 42.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of North Dakota. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $35K get you in North Dakota?
About tour and travel guides
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What this looks like in North Dakota
Tour and travel guides pay in North Dakota tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,034/month, which is 41.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% 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, North Dakota
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track tour and travel guides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when North Dakota numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in North Dakota?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 41.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,034/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 North Dakota?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,957/month. At HUD’s $1,034/month FMR, rent would take 53% 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 North Dakota?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does North Dakota compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
North Dakota pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in North Dakota?
The median is $35,360 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,610, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $47,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in North Dakota?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,480/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,034/month, which eats 41.7% 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 North Dakota?
North Dakota has a Regional Price Parity of 88.89 (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 $39,780 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.