Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $38,520 at the median, or about $18.52 an hour. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 105.78), so that salary is closer to $36,415 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,169/month, about 81.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Denver-Aurora-Centennial’s Regional Price Parity (105.78). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
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What this looks like in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,169/month, which is 83.2% 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 105.78), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in metros near Denver-Aurora-Centennial, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | $35K | $35K |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $36K | $35K |
| Boulder | $39K | $37K |
| Grand Junction | $35K | $37K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $13K spread from bottom to top.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $59K | +69% | 2,810 |
| District of Columbia | $47K | +34% | 1,170 |
| Vermont | $45K | +28% | 580 |
| Washington | $40K | +15% | 5,630 |
| Massachusetts | $39K | +12% | 4,530 |
| California | $39K | +12% | 27,810 |
| Nevada | $39K | +11% | 5,040 |
| New York | $39K | +10% | 10,130 |
| New Jersey | $38K | +9% | 5,000 |
| Rhode Island | $38K | +8% | 530 |
| Alaska | $38K | +7% | 820 |
| Maine | $37K | +7% | 1,510 |
| New Hampshire | $37K | +6% | 850 |
| Oregon | $37K | +6% | 4,080 |
| Connecticut | $37K | +6% | 1,490 |
| Colorado | $37K | +5% | 5,520 |
| Minnesota | $36K | +4% | 4,430 |
| Utah | $36K | +3% | 4,120 |
| Arizona | $36K | +2% | 5,540 |
| Maryland | $36K | +2% | 4,020 |
| Delaware | $36K | +2% | 740 |
| Illinois | $35K | +1% | 6,390 |
| Wisconsin | $35K | +1% | 5,100 |
| Montana | $35K | +1% | 2,660 |
| Wyoming | $35K | -0% | 950 |
| Florida | $35K | -0% | 23,580 |
| Missouri | $35K | -1% | 4,400 |
| North Dakota | $35K | -2% | 1,390 |
| Michigan | $34K | -3% | 6,300 |
| Idaho | $34K | -3% | 2,130 |
| Indiana | $33K | -5% | 4,640 |
| Virginia | $33K | -5% | 6,560 |
| Nebraska | $31K | -10% | 1,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $31K | -11% | 7,880 |
| Ohio | $31K | -13% | 6,320 |
| Iowa | $31K | -13% | 2,790 |
| South Dakota | $31K | -13% | 1,760 |
| Tennessee | $30K | -14% | 6,930 |
| South Carolina | $30K | -14% | 5,910 |
| Kentucky | $30K | -15% | 3,890 |
| North Carolina | $30K | -15% | 7,530 |
| Kansas | $30K | -15% | 1,900 |
| Texas | $30K | -16% | 23,690 |
| New Mexico | $29K | -16% | 2,940 |
| Georgia | $29K | -17% | 9,490 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -19% | 2,420 |
| Alabama | $28K | -20% | 3,910 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -21% | 3,090 |
| Louisiana | $27K | -22% | 4,110 |
| Mississippi | $27K | -22% | 3,050 |
| West Virginia | $27K | -23% | 1,730 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 83.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,169/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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,336/month. At HUD’s $2,169/month FMR, rent would take 93% 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Denver-Aurora-Centennial compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
Denver-Aurora-Centennial pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 105.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The median is $38,520 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,220, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $47,170. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,608/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,169/month, which eats 83.2% 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
Denver-Aurora-Centennial has a Regional Price Parity of 105.78 (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 $36,415 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.