State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earn a median of $35,070 per year ($16.86/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.7% through 2034, with about 43,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-4081Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $35,070
- Projected growth
- +3.7%
- Openings a year
- 43,600
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Desk Clerk, Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Associate, Front Desk Clerk, Front Office Agent, Guest Service Agent.
How much do Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks make?
10th percentile$27,120
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$29,810
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$35,070
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$38,100
Upper quartile
90th percentile$45,470
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $35,070 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $16.86/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $35,550 |
| People employed | 261,420 |
Versus all US occupations
At $35,070, Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earn 31% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,910 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 28% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $45,470 or more while the bottom 10% earn $27,120, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 2% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Hawaii pays the most at $59,110, and still leads at $53,760 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $59,110 | $53,760 | 2,810 |
| District of Columbia | $47,060 | $42,820 | 1,170 |
| Vermont | $44,940 | $45,877 | 580 |
| Washington | $40,460 | $37,808 | 5,630 |
| Massachusetts | $39,400 | $37,255 | 4,530 |
| California | $39,360 | $35,549 | 27,810 |
| Nevada | $38,900 | $38,908 | 5,040 |
| New York | $38,590 | $35,758 | 10,130 |
| New Jersey | $38,110 | $35,026 | 5,000 |
| Rhode Island | $37,840 | $36,996 | 530 |
Is Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk a growing career?
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks3.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks to change 3.7% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 9,900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 43,600 openings are projected each year, 16.5% of the 264,200 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of information clerks is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of information clerks varies by occupation (see table).
The increased use of online ordering and self-service systems will limit demand for some of these workers, such as order clerks and human resources assistants.
How to become a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk
Information clerks typically need a high school diploma and learn their skills on the job.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks.
- High School Diploma75.0%
- Some College Courses10.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)6.2%
- Bachelor's Degree4.6%
- Post-Secondary Certificate2.4%
What does a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk do?
Accommodate hotel, motel, and resort patrons by registering and assigning rooms to guests, issuing room keys or cards, transmitting and receiving messages, keeping records of occupied rooms and guests' accounts, making and confirming reservations, and presenting statements to and collecting payments from departing guests.
Information clerks do routine clerical tasks such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.
Day-to-day tasks
- Record guest comments or complaints, referring customers to managers as necessary.
- Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
- Make and confirm reservations.
- Contact housekeeping or maintenance staff when guests report problems.
- Answer inquiries pertaining to hotel services, guest registration, and travel directions, or make recommendations regarding shopping, dining, or entertainment.
- Compute bills, collect payments, and make change for guests.
- Review accounts and charges with guests during the check out process.
- Keep records of room availability and guests' accounts, manually or using computers.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Speaking3.8/5
- Active Listening3.4/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Writing2.9/5
- Critical Thinking2.9/5
- Active Learning2.8/5
- Mathematics2.6/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.0/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software
- Facilities management software
- Financial analysis software
- Instant messaging software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.6
Investigative1.0
Artistic1.4
Socialprimary4.5
Enterprisingprimary3.8
Conventionalprimary5.7
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk: frequently asked questions
How much do Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks make?
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earn a median of $35,070 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $16.86/hr. The middle half earn between $29,810 and $38,100. The top 10% earn $45,470 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 75.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.7% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 43,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk do?
Information clerks do routine clerical tasks such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers. A core O*NET task: record guest comments or complaints, referring customers to managers as necessary. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks the most?
The highest state medians for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks are Hawaii ($59,110), District of Columbia ($47,060), Vermont ($44,940) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk?
O*NET scores Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks highest on the Conventional, Social and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.