Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary
In Virginia, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn $33,270 at the median, or about $16 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $35,099 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 72.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $33K get you in Virginia?
About hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
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What this looks like in Virginia
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $33K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 72.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $33K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $10K spread from bottom to top.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks salary by metro in Virginia
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville | $34K | +2% | 270 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $31K | -7% | 1,580 |
| Harrisonburg | $31K | -7% | 140 |
| Richmond | $31K | -7% | 860 |
| Winchester | $30K | -9% | 130 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $30K | -10% | 120 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $30K | -11% | 160 |
| Roanoke | $29K | -11% | 260 |
Compare to other states
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Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $33K, rent takes 72.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,713/month. At HUD’s $1,646/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 Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $33K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
Virginia pays $33K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $35K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in Virginia?
The median is $33,270 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,550, and experienced hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks can clear $38,470. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $33K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,281/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 72.2% 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 Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (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 $35,099 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.