Travel Agents Salary
In Columbus, OH, travel agents earn $45,100 at the median, or about $21.68 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $63K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $47,240 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,430/month, about 46.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). 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 travel agents
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What this looks like in Columbus
Travel agents pay in Columbus tracks closely to the national median, $45K locally vs. $50K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,430/month, which is 45.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) 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 travel agents in metros near Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | $46K | $49K |
| Cincinnati | $45K | $47K |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek | $59K | $64K |
| Toledo | $41K | $45K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level travel agents (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $63K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
Travel Agents pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Travel Agents salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $63K | +26% | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $62K | +23% | 160 |
| Montana | $61K | +22% | 200 |
| New Jersey | $61K | +22% | 1,660 |
| Connecticut | $61K | +21% | 650 |
| Vermont | $61K | +21% | 120 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +19% | 250 |
| Oregon | $57K | +13% | 620 |
| Utah | $57K | +13% | 440 |
| Colorado | $57K | +13% | 1,100 |
| Massachusetts | $56K | +13% | 1,810 |
| North Carolina | $56K | +12% | 1,250 |
| Tennessee | $56K | +11% | 540 |
| New York | $56K | +11% | 3,180 |
| Washington | $55K | +10% | 1,710 |
| Kansas | $54K | +7% | 250 |
| Arizona | $52K | +3% | 1,100 |
| California | $51K | +2% | 4,760 |
| Florida | $50K | -0% | 9,430 |
| Nebraska | $50K | -1% | 240 |
| Texas | $50K | -1% | 4,310 |
| Kentucky | $49K | -2% | 220 |
| Maryland | $49K | -2% | 360 |
| Illinois | $49K | -2% | 2,120 |
| Mississippi | $49K | -2% | 160 |
| Georgia | $49K | -3% | 2,300 |
| Indiana | $49K | -3% | 640 |
| Idaho | $48K | -4% | 220 |
| Wyoming | $48K | -4% | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -5% | 1,470 |
| Alaska | $48K | -5% | 190 |
| Alabama | $48K | -5% | 380 |
| Hawaii | $48K | -5% | 580 |
| Minnesota | $47K | -6% | 890 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | -6% | 130 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | -6% | 810 |
| Michigan | $46K | -8% | 1,150 |
| Ohio | $46K | -8% | 1,140 |
| Missouri | $45K | -9% | 1,500 |
| Iowa | $45K | -9% | 290 |
| Virginia | $45K | -10% | 1,050 |
| West Virginia | $45K | -11% | 250 |
| North Dakota | $45K | -11% | 150 |
| New Mexico | $45K | -11% | 120 |
| South Dakota | $45K | -11% | 200 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -26% | 600 |
| Arkansas | $37K | -27% | 180 |
| Louisiana | $36K | -28% | 310 |
| South Carolina | $35K | -31% | 680 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track travel agents salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbus numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a travel agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 45.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/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 travel agents in Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new travel agents typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,169/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is travel agent a high-paying job in Columbus?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $45K locally vs. $50K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for travel agents?
Columbus pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — below the national median.
How much do travel agents make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $45,100 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,150, and experienced travel agents can clear $62,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,145/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 45.5% 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 travel agents salary go in Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (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 travel agents salary is worth about $47,240 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do travel agents 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.