North Carolina·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9081

Best Lodging Manager programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that provides lodging and other.

20 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 304 people a year. The job pays a median of $63,860 in North Carolina across about 1,460 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledHotel ManagerResort ManagerFront Desk ManagerFront Office ManagerLandladyInnkeeperInn ManagerMotel Keeper
Graduates / yr
304
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$63,860
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,460
people employed
Schools
20
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
46%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,331
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1174
57.2%
11$34,218$23,364
2118
38.8%
8$34,218$23,364
311
3.6%
2$34,218$23,364
41
0.3%
1$34,218$23,364

Top 20 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 7 of the 20 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1East Carolina University
Greenville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
48Hospitality Administration/Management, General$38,04963%89%
2Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
38Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management33%
3Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
31Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management31%
4Nash Community College
Rocky Mount, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
29Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management41%
5Appalachian State University
Boone, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
25Hospitality Administration/Management, General$33,70275%90%
6Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
21Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management24%
7Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
18Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management40%
8Guilford Technical Community College
Jamestown, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
18Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management31%
9University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
15Hospitality Administration/Management, General$31,95256%89%
10Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
13Hospitality Administration/Management, General$29,39560%82%
11Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
9Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management34%
12North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
9Hospitality Administration/Management, General$27,75242%87%
13Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Hospitality Administration/Management, Other$44,46461%$23,33187%
14Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
5Hospitality Administration/Management, General$33,37449%$29,44680%
15Meredith College
Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Hospitality Administration/Management, General70%$19,55274%
16Coastal Carolina Community College
Jacksonville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
4Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management49%
17Durham Technical Community College
Durham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
4Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management45%
18Livingstone College
Salisbury, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Hospitality Administration/Management, General28%$15,90359%
19Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
1Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management45%
20Carteret Community College
Morehead City, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
1Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management49%

All 20 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
East Carolina UniversityGreenvillePublic482
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleighPublic381
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlottePublic311
Nash Community CollegeRocky MountPublic291
Appalachian State UniversityBoonePublic251
Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayettevillePublic211
Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAshevillePublic181
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestownPublic181
University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboroPublic151
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheePublic131
Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmingtonPublic91
North Carolina Central UniversityDurhamPublic91
Campbell UniversityBuies CreekPrivate not-for-profit71
Johnson & Wales University - CharlotteCharlottePrivate not-for-profit52
Meredith CollegeRaleighPrivate not-for-profit51

What lodging managers earn in North Carolina

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in North Carolina
$63,860
Mean annual
$68,330
Jobs in state
1,460
What the range looks like
10th pct$27,030Median$63,86090th pct$100,520
Versus the national median
-7.8%

U.S. median $69,250. North Carolina pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.08×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in North Carolina

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$78,610median
90 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$76,520median
280 jobs
Asheville, NC
$73,490median
100 jobs
Winston-Salem, NC
$72,800median
50 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$65,610median
100 jobs
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$72,500median
200 jobs
Wilmington, NC
$62,180median
70 jobs
Fayetteville, NC
$60,360median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.4%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
5,400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
1,800
52,000 → 53,800
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Lodging Managers page.

How to become a Lodging Manager

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionWritingMonitoringCritical Thinking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in North Carolina

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 6 majors mapped to Lodging Managers6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 52.0901Hospitality Administration/Management, General
  • 52.0904Hotel/Motel Administration/Management
  • 52.0905Restaurant/Food Services Management
  • 52.0906Resort Management
  • 52.0909Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management
  • 52.0999Hospitality Administration/Management, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing lodging managers programs in North Carolina.

What degree do you need to become a Lodging Manager?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management, which awarded 174 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 57.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Lodging Manager?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Hospitality Administration/Management. Together they graduate about 304 people a year in North Carolina.

How much do lodging managers earn in North Carolina?+

The median is $63,860 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.8% below the U.S. median of $69,250. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for lodging managers growing?+

BLS projects a +3.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in North Carolina?+

20 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do lodging managers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Hotel Manager, Resort Manager, Front Desk Manager, Front Office Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9081.

Programs in North CarolinaHotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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