Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerkss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $35,550 ≈ $17/hr
National median salary $35,070
Total employment 261,420 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +3.7% About as fast as average
Annual openings 43,600 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 264,200 → 274,000 (+9,900)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Hawaii$58,030
  2. District of Columbia$47,690
  3. New York$45,280
  4. California$42,680
  5. Washington$42,450

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Mississippi$26,640
  2. West Virginia$26,760
  3. Louisiana$27,350
  4. Oklahoma$28,030
  5. Alabama$28,480
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Hawaii $58,030 $59,110 $28 +63.2% 2,810
2 District of Columbia $47,690 $47,060 $23 +34.1% 1,170
3 New York $45,280 $38,590 $22 +27.4% 10,130
4 California $42,680 $39,360 $21 +20.1% 27,810
5 Washington $42,450 $40,460 $20 +19.4% 5,630
6 Massachusetts $42,190 $39,400 $20 +18.7% 4,530
7 Vermont $42,110 $44,940 $20 +18.5% 580
8 New Jersey $40,060 $38,110 $19 +12.7% 5,000
9 Maine $39,270 $37,380 $19 +10.5% 1,510
10 Colorado $39,000 $36,750 $19 +9.7% 5,520
11 Nevada $38,990 $38,900 $19 +9.7% 5,040
12 New Hampshire $38,530 $37,300 $19 +8.4% 850
13 Rhode Island $38,470 $37,840 $19 +8.2% 530
14 Connecticut $38,170 $37,000 $18 +7.4% 1,490
15 Oregon $38,170 $37,020 $18 +7.4% 4,080

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 493 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Kahului-Wailuku, HI $60,360 $60,540 730
2 Urban Honolulu, HI $59,940 $58,640 1,360
3 Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area $54,860 $54,350 720
4 Burlington-South Burlington, VT $46,500 $43,720 140
5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $45,230 $47,090 1,360
6 Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area $44,940 $42,300 200
7 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $44,670 $49,160 3,390
8 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $44,520 $45,570 2,470
9 Napa, CA $43,950 $45,400 420
10 Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area $43,820 $42,380 950

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing hotel, motel, and resort desk clerkss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Social Assistance $49,980 $47,530 220
2 Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services $49,980 $47,600 200
3 Sector 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance $49,980 $48,880 250
4 Civic and Social Organizations $48,120 $51,370 210
5 Food Services and Drinking Places $43,800 $42,910 540
6 Restaurants and Other Eating Places $43,800 $42,530 470
7 Full-Service Restaurants $43,800 $42,530 470
8 Educational Services, Privately Owned $43,730 $40,360 290
9 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools $43,730 $40,400 290
10 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned $43,730 $40,980 260
11 Special Food Services $42,640 $45,340
12 Grantmaking and Giving Services $40,690 $43,530 50

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
50,495
$10-20k
31,132
$20-30k
31,309
$30-40k
27,257
$40-50k
11,198
$50-60k
5,765
$60-70k
4,823
$70-80k
1,467
$80-90k
800
$90-100k
479
$100-110k
1,290
$110-120k
92
$150-160k
71
$160-170k
105
$200k+
245

Pay by age band

16-24
$16,226
25-34
$23,793
35-44
$25,660
45-54
$28,698
55-64
$28,672
65+
$25,796

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$21,094
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$22,543
Bachelors Degree
$28,240
Associates Degree
$27,250
Some college, but less than 1 year
$25,961
GED or alternative credential
$18,113
Grade 11
$14,007
Masters Degree
$21,500
Grade 10
$16,325
12th grade - no diploma
$41,593
No schooling completed
$34,225
Grade 9
$15,125
Grade 8
$12,254
Doctorate degree
$11,680
Professional degree
$31,067
Grade 7
$22,489
Kindergarten
$14,871

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
85,491 · $34,646
Part-time
44,098 · $16,066

Race / ethnicity

White
$20,090
Black
$26,618
Two or More Races
$22,984
Other
$25,693
Asian
$37,292
American Indian
$15,182
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$19,885
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$20,390
Alaska Native
$18,351

Top fields of study

Hospitality Management
$40,024
Business Management And Administration
$34,391
Communications
$25,466
General Business
$33,743
History
$29,911
Psychology
$19,254
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$26,958
Accounting
$20,576

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Social Perceptiveness
3.8
Speaking
3.8
Service Orientation
3.6
Active Listening
3.4
Coordination
3.1
Reading Comprehension
3.0
Monitoring
3.0
Time Management
3.0
Management of Personnel Resources
3.0
Judgment and Decision Making
3.0
Complex Problem Solving
3.0
Critical Thinking
2.9

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in the U.S.?

The median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary in the United States is $35,070 per year (mean $35,550), and about 80% earn between $27,120 and $45,470.

How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make per hour?

Roughly $17 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $35,550 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks the most?

Hawaii has the highest average pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks at $58,030 per year (median $59,110).

What is the job outlook for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?

Employment is projected to change +3.7% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 43,600 openings per year.