Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In South Carolina, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $30,020 at the median, or about $14.43 an hour. The range runs from $21K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.17), which stretches that salary to about $32,221 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,263/month, about 61.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across South Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $30K get you in South Carolina?
About hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
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What this looks like in South Carolina
Pay for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in South Carolina runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,263/month, which is 58.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.17 (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 clerkss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, South Carolina
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $21K. Mid-career wages sit at $30K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks salary by metro in South Carolina
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | $36K | +18% | 530 |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $34K | +13% | 1,120 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | $31K | +5% | 1,090 |
| Florence | $30K | -1% | 340 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $30K | -1% | 800 |
| Spartanburg | $29K | -2% | 210 |
| Columbia | $29K | -3% | 660 |
| Sumter | $24K | -21% | 80 |
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when South Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $30K, rent takes 58.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,263/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 South Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $21K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,231/month. At HUD’s $1,263/month FMR, rent would take 103% 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 South Carolina?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $30K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does South Carolina compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
South Carolina pays $30K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — below the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in South Carolina?
The median is $30,020 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $20,510, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $38,130. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $30K enough to live in South Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,150/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,263/month, which eats 58.7% 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 South Carolina?
South Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 93.17 (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 $32,221 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.