SOC 39-7010 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Tour and Travel Guides — California
California · 10 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in California comes to $46,000 a year, ahead of the national median of $38,120 by 20.7%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +8.1%
- Openings per year
- 13,000
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
9.8% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for California.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
Median pay for this occupation in California comes to $46,000 a year, ahead of the national median of $38,120 by 20.7%. Pay ranges from under $36,500 at the tenth percentile to more than $66,220 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $38,770 to $57,510.
Employment stands at 6,900, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. California ranks number 4th out of 50 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, San Jose records the highest median at $59,330. Of the 793 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 667th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,500 | −4.2% |
| 25th | $38,770 | +1.7% |
| Median (50th) | $46,000 | +20.7% |
| 75th | $57,510 | +50.9% |
| 90th | $66,220 | +73.7% |
| Mean | $49,180 | +29.0% |
Highest-paying metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose | $59,330 | 640 | |
| 2 | San Luis Obispo | $54,550 | 120 | |
| 3 | San Francisco | $52,480 | 970 | |
| 4 | Sacramento | $47,740 | 280 | |
| 5 | Oxnard | $47,170 | 170 | |
| 6 | Salinas | $46,130 | 120 | |
| 7 | Santa Rosa | $45,620 | 110 | |
| 8 | Santa Cruz | $44,270 | 50 | |
| 9 | Santa Maria | $43,670 | 120 | |
| 10 | Napa | $43,280 | 140 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in California run 10.7% above the national average, so the median of $46,000 buys what $41,554 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 9.0% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$46,000as reported by BLSLocal price level
110.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$41,554US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $46,000 a year, 20.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $36,500 to $66,220 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 6,900 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 4th of 50 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $59,330.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Tour and Travel Guides in California?
The median annual wage is $46,000, or $22.11 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $38,120, so pay in California is 20.7% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in California earns more than $66,220 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $36,500 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Jose, at $59,330 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 6,900 jobs in this occupation in California. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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