RecruitLocalPros

Hiring a travel agent in Chicago, IL

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay travel agents a median of $49,160, with the middle half of the market between $45,340 and $61,070. Chicago residents working in sales and related occupations report a median of $44,484, which is 10% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does a travel agent earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$45,340
Median$49,160
75th percentile$61,070

Half of travel agents in this area earn between $45,340 and $61,070. A band set below $45,340 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Chicago residents earn

$44,484

Median earnings of Chicago residents working in sales and related occupations, 117,073 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 10% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
  • Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
  • Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
  • Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
  • Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 41-3041.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Sabre Central Command, Zoom, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Chicago?

This is a job zone three: medium preparation needed occupation. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 43.3% of Chicago adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Chicago commute runs 33.5 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Cook County, retail trade employs 242,704 and turns over 10.1% a quarter, with 29,607 hires against 37,712 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $3,354 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 44-45.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about travel agents. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $9,832 to $14,748 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a travel agent somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other sales and related roles in Chicago

Related

Chicago is the largest of 1 Illinois cities in this dataset.