Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Counter and Rental Clerks? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places counter and rental clerks in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 46,100 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 52/100Higher than 66% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +3.0%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 46,100BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed counter and rental clerks are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Counter and Rental Clerks land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing for or working directly with the public4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Dealing with the public4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment3.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Documenting/recording information4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks3.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Working with computers3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for counter and rental clerks
- 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.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +3.0% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 46,100 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 400,810 people work in the job today, at a median of $41,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full counter and rental clerk profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than counter and rental clerks
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Stocker and Order Filler
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $37,330median a year
- Growth
- +8.9%
- Openings / yr
- 430,700
- Education
- No formal credential
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders.
Demonstrator and Product Promoter
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $39,320median a year
- Growth
- +0.2%
- Openings / yr
- 11,400
- Education
- No formal credential
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Demonstrate merchandise and answer questions for the purpose of creating public interest in buying the product.
First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $48,520median a year
- Growth
- −3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 113,500
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 54/100
- resilience
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department.
Questions
Will AI Replace Counter and Rental Clerks? FAQ
Will AI replace counter and rental clerks?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 46,100 openings a year.
How exposed are counter and rental clerks to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Counter and Rental Clerks are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a counter and rental clerk's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, documenting/recording information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing for or working directly with the public and dealing with the public. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a counter and rental clerk a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, counter and rental clerks score 52 out of 100, higher than 66% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $41,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to counter and rental clerks are less exposed to AI?
Stocker and Order Filler (moderate exposure, $37,330 median), Demonstrator and Product Promoter (high exposure, $39,320 median), First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers (high exposure, $48,520 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than counter and rental clerks, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.