Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In California, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $39,360 at the median, or about $18.92 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $54K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $37,083 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 90.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $39K get you in California?
About hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
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What this looks like in California
California sits well above the national pay line for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 90.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.14), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $54K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks salary by metro in California
25 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $45K | +15% | 1,360 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $45K | +13% | 3,390 |
| Napa | $44K | +12% | 420 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $40K | +1% | 7,830 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $40K | +1% | 530 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $39K | -1% | 2,980 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $39K | -2% | 1,610 |
| Salinas | $38K | -3% | 850 |
| Vallejo | $38K | -3% | 220 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $38K | -3% | 260 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $38K | -4% | 700 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $37K | -5% | 730 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $37K | -5% | 50 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $37K | -5% | 310 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $37K | -6% | 380 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $37K | -6% | 2,450 |
| Modesto | $37K | -7% | 160 |
| Yuba City | $36K | -7% | 70 |
| El Centro | $36K | -8% | 100 |
| Visalia | $36K | -8% | 230 |
| Chico | $36K | -8% | 120 |
| Merced | $36K | -9% | 90 |
| Fresno | $36K | -9% | 480 |
| Redding | $36K | -9% | 170 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $36K | -9% | 410 |
Showing 1–10 of 25 metros
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Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 90.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,471/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,155/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 115% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk a high-paying job in California?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $39K here vs. $35K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 6% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does California compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
California pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in California?
The median is $39,360 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,910, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $54,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,742/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 90.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary go in California?
California has a Regional Price Parity of 106.14 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary is worth about $37,083 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.