Emurse

Hotels and other accommodations provided 1.8 million wage and salary jobs in 2004. In addition, there were about 33,000 self-employed and unpaid family workers in the industry, who worked in bed-and-breakfast inns, camps, and small motels.

Employment is concentrated in densely populated cities and resort areas. Compared with establishments in other industries, hotels, motels, and other lodging places tend to be small. About 91 percent employed fewer than 50 people; about 56 percent employ fewer than 10 workers (chart). As a result, lodging establishments offer opportunities for those who are interested in owning and running their own business. Although establishments tend to be small, the majority of jobs are in larger hotels and motels with more than 100 employees.

Hotels and other lodging places often provide first jobs to many new entrants to the labor force. As a result, many of the industry's workers are young. In 2004, about 19 percent of the workers were younger than age 25, compared with about 14 percent across all industries (table 1).