Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary: $43,191 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 261,430 hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks nationally earn a mean of $43,191. Projections imply about 0.9% annual growth; much hiring sits in accommodation and food services.
Key Statistics
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks: what the data shows
Common questions about hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-4081.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 261,430 workers.
What does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make?
BLS national median annual wage: $34,270 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $43,191 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,132 |
| 25th percentile | $37,347 |
| Median (50th) | $40,044 |
| 75th percentile | $45,928 |
| 90th percentile | $53,661 |
What education do you need?
For Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 4.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 9.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 261,430.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerkss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 261,430 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 258,670 | 19.7% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 249,430 | 19.0% |
| Accommodation | 248,220 | 18.9% |
| Traveler Accommodation | 242,290 | 18.4% |
| Real Estate | 8,060 | 0.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks workforce.
Employment Over Time
261,430 Workforce in 2023
The Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,191 Average Wage
In 2023, Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earned an average of $43,191.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Salary distribution for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Employment Growth Projections
0.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
114,102 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 4.6%
119,400 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 9.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 27,500 employees, $42,280 avg wage
- TX: 23,420 employees, $30,430 avg wage
- FL: 22,130 employees, $34,330 avg wage
- NY: 10,150 employees, $46,910 avg wage
- GA: 9,170 employees, $29,030 avg wage
- NC: 8,470 employees, $30,580 avg wage
- PA: 7,840 employees, $32,020 avg wage
- VA: 7,030 employees, $32,310 avg wage
- IL: 6,620 employees, $35,690 avg wage
- MI: 6,540 employees, $33,530 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 8,310 employees, $49,090 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,820 employees, $44,140 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 6,200 employees, $34,990 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 5,520 employees, $33,010 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,070 employees, $31,640 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 4,960 employees, $35,100 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,840 employees, $38,940 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 4,420 employees, $37,320 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 4,330 employees, $31,140 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 4,020 employees, $38,980 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in 2023 was 261,430 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks workers.
Education level distribution for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Skills
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Coordination.
Required skills for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Administrative, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
Daily Activities
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks.
About
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
The average yearly wage for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks was $43,191 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-4081 - Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks reports an average salary of $43,191.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 261,430 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.