Travel Agent Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of travel agents from 2025 to 2035 (+0.2%, about 100 more jobs), with about 5,900 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $50,160 a year ranks 549th of 825 occupations.
- Little or no change
- +0.2%
- Openings a year
- 5,900
- Median pay
- $50,160
- Pay rank
- 549th of 825
Is employment of travel agents growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.2% employment change for travel agents from 2025 to 2035 (about 100 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the -1.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 22 sales and related occupations with a projection. That change ranks 585th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 61,500 |
| Employment, 2035 | 61,700 |
| Projected change | +0.2% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 5,900 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 61,500 jobs here differ from the 55,110 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 5,900 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 352nd most of 830 occupations. Nearly all of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 10 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for travel agents rank?
The median of $50,160 a year ranks 549th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counter and Rental Clerks | +3.0% | 46,100 | $41,300 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | +2.7% | 115,700 | $69,990 |
| Telemarketers | -21.4% | 5,800 | $35,450 |
| Retail Salespersons | -0.3% | 520,600 | $35,410 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | +3.3% | 43,100 | $62,280 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | -7.2% | 7,800 | $64,820 |
| Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers | -10.4% | 4,800 | $41,380 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | +1.7% | 32,600 | $52,830 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.