Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $26,170 at the median, or about $12.58 an hour. The range runs from $18K at the entry level to $31K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.89), which stretches that salary to about $30,469 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,060/month, about 54.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $26K get you in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by McAllen-Edinburg-Mission’s Regional Price Parity (85.89). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission runs about 25% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,060/month, which is 55.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% 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 clerkss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in metros near McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $35K | $34K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $30K | $30K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $32K | $32K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $30K | $32K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $18K. Mid-career wages sit at $26K. Top earners bring in $31K 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)
Track hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when McAllen-Edinburg-Mission numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $26K, rent takes 55.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,060/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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $18K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,099/month. At HUD’s $1,060/month FMR, rent would take 96% 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Local pay runs 25% below the national median — $26K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 14% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does McAllen-Edinburg-Mission compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission pays $26K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -25%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $30K — below the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
The median is $26,170 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $18,310, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $31,240. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $26K enough to live in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,921/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,060/month, which eats 55.2% 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has a Regional Price Parity of 85.89 (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 $30,469 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.