Travel Agents Salary
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, travel agents earn $39,780 at the median, or about $19.13 an hour. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.06), which stretches that salary to about $45,693 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,051/month, about 38.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $40K actually covers in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Waterloo-Cedar Falls’s Regional Price Parity (87.06). 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Pay for travel agents in Waterloo-Cedar Falls runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $50K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,051/month, which is 39.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.06 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% 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 travel agents.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for travel agents in metros near Waterloo-Cedar Falls, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $49K | $47K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $48K | $45K |
| St. Louis | $46K | $49K |
| Springfield | $38K | $43K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Entry-level travel agents (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $25K 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 annually. We'll email you when Waterloo-Cedar Falls numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a travel agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 39.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,051/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 travel agents in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new travel agents typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,339/month. At HUD’s $1,051/month FMR, rent would take 45% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $40K here vs. $50K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Waterloo-Cedar Falls compare to the national average for travel agents?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — below the national median.
How much do travel agents make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
The median is $39,780 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,290, and experienced travel agents can clear $58,960. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,680/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,051/month, which eats 39.2% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls has a Regional Price Parity of 87.06 (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 $45,693 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.