The median pay for Counter and Rental Clerks is $41,300 a year ($19.86/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.0% through 2035, with about 46,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
- SOC 41-2021
- Sales and Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Counter and Rental Clerk in four numbers
- Median pay
- $41,300a year, or $19.86/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $65K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.0%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 46,100409,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025409.4K
- Projected 2035421.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 409.4K Projected 2035 421.9K - Typical education
- No formal credentialneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school0.8%
- High school55.9%
- Certificate0.4%
- Some college13.2%
- Associate's9.5%
- Bachelor's20.3%
Highest education held by counter and rental clerks Segment Value Less than high school 0.8% High school 55.9% Certificate 0.4% Some college 13.2% Associate's 9.5% Bachelor's 20.3%
Also advertised as: Counter Clerk, Counter Service Representative, Leasing Consultant, Rental Agent, Rental Assistant, Rental Associate.
Pay
How much do Counter and Rental Clerks make?
Every counter and rental clerk in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$41,300
Middle half earn $35,630 to $50,190
- 10th
- $29,800
- 25th
- $35,630
- 75th
- $50,190
- 90th
- $65,370
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $29,800 |
| 25th | $35,630 |
| Median | $41,300 |
| 75th | $50,190 |
| 90th | $65,370 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $41,300
- Median hourly wage
- $19.86/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $45,700
- People employed
- 400,810
Versus all US occupations
At $41,300, Counter and Rental Clerks earn 19% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $9,680 a year.
Versus sales and related occupations
Inside the Sales and Related group, where the middle occupation pays $73,220, this is 44% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $65,370 or more while the bottom 10% earn $29,800, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 8% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($53,760), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $50,158 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Counter and Rental Clerks the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $53,760 | $48,917 | 480 |
| 2New Jersey | $48,900 | $44,943 | 9,540 |
| 3Vermont | $48,430 | $49,440 | 750 |
| 4Washington | $47,820 | $44,686 | 14,600 |
| 5New Hampshire | $47,250 | $45,361 | 1,590 |
| 6Maine | $46,870 | $48,295 | 1,180 |
| 7Rhode Island | $46,360 | $45,327 | 840 |
| 8New York | $46,270 | $42,874 | 18,320 |
| 9Colorado | $46,240 | $44,871 | 13,900 |
| 10Wisconsin | $45,720 | $48,589 | 6,600 |
Job outlook
Is Counter and Rental Clerk a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Counter and Rental Clerks | +3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Counter and Rental Clerks to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 12,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 46,100 openings are projected each year, 11.3% of the 409,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Counter and Rental Clerk
- 1
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as counter and rental clerks.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)55.9%
- Bachelor's Degree20.3%
- Some College Courses13.2%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree9.5%
- Less than a High School Diploma0.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 55.9% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 20.3% |
| Some College Courses | 13.2% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 9.5% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 0.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Counter and Rental Clerk do?
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services. May describe available options, compute cost, and accept payment.
Day-to-day tasks
- Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.
- Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.
- Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.
- Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.
- Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.
- Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented.
- Advise customers on use and care of merchandise.
- Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes are not usually serious.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.8
- Speaking3.4
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Writing3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Learning2.8
- Mathematics2.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.8 |
| Mathematics | 2.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Service Orientation3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Persuasion2.9
- Negotiation2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Complex Problem Solving2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
| Negotiation | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Inventory management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Counter and Rental Clerk?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Counter and Rental Clerk |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 1 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional5.9
- Enterprising3.9
- Social3.3
- Realistic3.2
- Artistic1.3
- Investigative1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Counter and Rental Clerk
O*NET related occupations
- Sales and Related
- Sales and Related
- Sales and Related
Door-to-Door Sales Worker, News and Street Vendor, and Related Worker
$41,380median a year
Most earn $32K to $51K
−10.4%No formal credential - Transportation and Material Moving
- Sales and Related
Sales Representative of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
$69,990median a year
Most earn $38K to $149K
+2.7%High school - Office and Administrative Support
More sales and related careers
Median annual pay, with counter and rental clerks highlighted
- Sales Engineer$124,900
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product$104,920
- Real Estate Broker$73,220
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080
- Insurance Sales Agent$62,280
- Real Estate Agent$52,830
- Travel Agent$50,160
- Counter and Rental Clerk$41,300
- Cashier$32,880
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineer | $124,900 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product | $104,920 |
| Real Estate Broker | $73,220 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $72,080 |
| Insurance Sales Agent | $62,280 |
| Real Estate Agent | $52,830 |
| Travel Agent | $50,160 |
| Counter and Rental Clerk | $41,300 |
| Cashier | $32,880 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Counter and Rental Clerk appears on
Questions
Counter and Rental Clerk: frequently asked questions
How much do Counter and Rental Clerks make?
Counter and Rental Clerks earn a median of $41,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 19% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $19.86/hr. The middle half earn between $35,630 and $50,190. The top 10% earn $65,370 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Counter and Rental Clerk?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Counter and Rental Clerks, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 55.9% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Counter and Rental Clerk a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 46,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Counter and Rental Clerk do?
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services. A core O*NET task: answer telephones to provide information and receive orders. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Counter and Rental Clerks the most?
The highest state medians for Counter and Rental Clerks are District of Columbia ($53,760), New Jersey ($48,900), Vermont ($48,430) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $50,158.
What personality type suits a Counter and Rental Clerk?
O*NET scores Counter and Rental Clerks highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.