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The differences between tour guides and drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a driver has an average salary of $34,771, which is higher than the $32,323 average annual salary of a tour guide.
The top three skills for a tour guide include local history, customer service and safety practices. The most important skills for a driver are math, basic math, and CDL.
| Tour Guide | Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $32,323 | $34,771 |
| Hourly rate | $15.54 | $16.72 |
| Growth rate | - | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 1,043 | 1,017,998 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Average age | 34 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
As their title describes, tour guides offer guided tours to individuals or groups of visitors. Tour guides undertake research and plan tours, provide sightseeing advice, and organize excursions. They transport and accompany their guests to the tourist spots in specific destinations. They are expected to be experts on the historical background and culture of an area. A useful tour guide must be equipped with enough enthusiasm, punctuality, keen sense, strong communication skills, and a steel-trap memory.
Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.
Tour guides and drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tour Guide | Driver | |
| Average salary | $32,323 | $34,771 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $55,000 | Between $22,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Harley-Davidson | Air Liquide |
| Best paying industry | Education | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a tour guide and a driver in terms of educational background:
| Tour Guide | Driver | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between tour guides' and drivers' demographics:
| Tour Guide | Driver | |
| Average age | 34 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2% | Male, 83.0% Female, 17.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 9.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 3.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 4% |