Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $29,380 at the median, or about $14.13 an hour. The range runs from $24K at the entry level to $36K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.43), which stretches that salary to about $31,446 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,242/month, about 58.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $29K actually covers in Lafayette-West Lafayette, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lafayette-West Lafayette’s Regional Price Parity (93.43). 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette
Pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in Lafayette-West Lafayette runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,242/month, which is 60.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.43 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in metros near Lafayette-West Lafayette, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood | $35K | $36K |
| South Bend-Mishawaka | $31K | $33K |
| Fort Wayne | $33K | $36K |
| Evansville | $31K | $33K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $24K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $36K or more, a $12K 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 60.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,242/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/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 Lafayette-West Lafayette?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $24K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,694/month. At HUD’s $1,242/month FMR, rent would take 73% 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $29K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Lafayette-West Lafayette compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
Lafayette-West Lafayette pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.43), the purchasing-power equivalent is $31K — below the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN?
The median is $29,380 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $23,740, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $35,870. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Lafayette-West Lafayette?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,062/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,242/month, which eats 60.2% 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette?
Lafayette-West Lafayette has a Regional Price Parity of 93.43 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary is worth about $31,446 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.