17% of the American workforce are foreign born, but 31% of hotel workers are foreign born. The wage levels tell why. Housekeepers at Marriott International, Inc. earn around $10.26. Comfort Inn and Suites pays the lowest at around $8.43. Holiday Inn Express pays $8.77.But Las Vegas hotels, staffed by union workers, pay housekeeper well above that, and annual total wages average about $29,000, The median annual wage income in the U.S. is about $37,000. Housekeeping is one of the non-customer facing jobs, such as kitchen crew and warehouse workers, which employ many immigrants with low formal education and poor English.

Photo credit: Earl Dotter.