Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In Terre Haute, IN, tour and travel guides earn $27,490 at the median, or about $13.22 an hour. The range runs from $19K at the entry level to $37K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.8), which stretches that salary to about $31,310 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,094/month, about 55.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $27K get you in Terre Haute?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Terre Haute’s Regional Price Parity (87.8). 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 Terre Haute
Pay for tour and travel guides in Terre Haute runs about 28% below the U.S. median of $38K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,094/month, which is 56.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.8 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tour and travel guidess.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tour and travel guides in metros near Terre Haute, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood | $31K | $33K |
| Fort Wayne | $31K | $34K |
| South Bend-Mishawaka | $30K | $32K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $37K | $36K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Terre Haute, IN
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $19K. Mid-career wages sit at $27K. Top earners bring in $37K or more, a $18K 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 Terre Haute numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Terre Haute?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $27K, rent takes 56.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,094/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/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 Terre Haute?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $19K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,157/month. At HUD’s $1,094/month FMR, rent would take 95% 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 Terre Haute?
Local pay runs 28% below the national median — $27K here vs. $38K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Terre Haute compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
Terre Haute pays $27K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -28%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.8), the purchasing-power equivalent is $31K — below the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in Terre Haute, IN?
The median is $27,490 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $19,290, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $37,440. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $27K enough to live in Terre Haute?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,941/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,094/month, which eats 56.4% 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 Terre Haute?
Terre Haute has a Regional Price Parity of 87.8 (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 $31,310 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.
