Median pay for hosts runs from $17,910 in Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area to $47,110 in Urban Honolulu — a 2.63× range across 508 metropolitan areas. The national median of $31,200 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of hosts earn below $22,340 and ten per cent above $43,990 — a 1.97× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 41%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Urban Honolulu (HI) leads and Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu HI | $47,110 | $22.65 | 1.4 | 1,740 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $47,010 | $22.60 | 1.44 | 420 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $45,240 | $21.75 | 2.39 | 490 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $43,410 | $20.87 | 1.01 | 3,390 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $42,400 | $20.39 | 0.59 | 1,860 |
| Grants Pass OR | $40,890 | $19.66 | 1.13 | 100 |
| Bend OR | $40,090 | $19.27 | 1.59 | 480 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $39,810 | $19.14 | 0.62 | 4,090 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $38,430 | $18.48 | 1.03 | 6,010 |
| Boulder CO | $38,220 | $18.38 | 1.09 | 580 |
| Napa CA | $38,200 | $18.36 | 2.25 | 490 |
| Eugene-Springfield OR | $38,120 | $18.33 | 1.05 | 460 |
| Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $38,100 | $18.32 | 0.77 | 160 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $37,890 | $18.22 | 1.14 | 300 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $37,720 | $18.14 | 1.14 | 650 |
| Vallejo CA | $37,520 | $18.04 | 0.7 | 280 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $37,420 | $17.99 | 1.49 | 470 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $37,370 | $17.96 | 1.04 | 150 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $37,100 | $17.84 | 1.03 | 830 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $36,970 | $17.77 | 0.57 | 170 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $36,920 | $17.75 | 0.88 | 15,340 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $36,830 | $17.71 | 1.2 | 360 |
| Salem OR | $36,780 | $17.68 | 0.79 | 410 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $36,530 | $17.56 | 1.23 | 220 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $36,500 | $17.55 | 0.7 | 18,530 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $17,910 | $8.61 | 0.67 | 140 |
| Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $20,120 | $9.68 | 0.68 | 120 |
| Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $20,670 | $9.94 | 0.46 | 100 |
| Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $20,760 | $9.98 | 0.5 | 170 |
| Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $20,760 | $9.98 | 0.71 | 160 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $20,790 | $10.00 | 0.4 | 100 |
| Monroe LA | $20,910 | $10.06 | 0.81 | 200 |
| Lake Charles LA | $20,930 | $10.06 | 1.53 | 430 |
| Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $21,120 | $10.16 | 0.79 | 470 |
| Alexandria LA | $21,120 | $10.15 | 0.71 | 120 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC | $26,150 | $12.57 | 3.33 | 1,350 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $26,470 | $12.73 | 2.81 | 1,100 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $30,820 | $14.82 | 2.68 | 590 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $34,870 | $16.76 | 2.6 | 680 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | $29,340 | $14.10 | 2.43 | 550 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $45,240 | $21.75 | 2.39 | 490 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | $31,200 | $15.00 | 2.37 | 640 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $26,870 | $12.92 | 2.3 | 560 |
| Napa CA | $38,200 | $18.36 | 2.25 | 490 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton NJ | $34,000 | $16.35 | 2.24 | 1,050 |
| South Florida nonmetropolitan area | $31,400 | $15.10 | 2.14 | 520 |
| Naples-Marco Island FL | $33,960 | $16.33 | 2.13 | 1,030 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $36,500 | $17.55 | 0.7 | 18,530 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $36,920 | $17.75 | 0.88 | 15,340 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $31,720 | $15.25 | 1.07 | 13,390 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $28,560 | $13.73 | 1.48 | 11,940 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $35,140 | $16.89 | 1.41 | 10,580 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $32,280 | $15.52 | 1.33 | 10,440 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $28,890 | $13.89 | 0.9 | 10,140 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,360 | $17.48 | 1.06 | 9,270 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $26,730 | $12.85 | 0.98 | 8,990 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $32,220 | $15.49 | 1.11 | 8,960 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $35,080 | $16.87 | 1.22 | 8,090 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $38,430 | $18.48 | 1.03 | 6,010 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 35-9031. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 508 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.