Counter and Rental Clerks
Also called: Airplane Charter Clerk, Apartment Rental Clerk, Apparel Rental Clerk, Auto Rental Clerk, Automobile Rental Clerk, Automotive Customer Service Advisor (Auto Customer Service Advisor), Baby Stroller Rental Clerk, Bicycle Rental Clerk
Receive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services.
What counter and rental clerks do
Typical tasks
- Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.
- Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.
- Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures.
- Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description.
- Advise customers on use and care of merchandise.
- Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.
- Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.
- Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.
- Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.
- Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.
- Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment.
- Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Counter and Rental Clerks salary
The median annual wage for counter and rental clerks is $41,300 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $29,800 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $65,370. The mean annual wage is $45,700.
The mean hourly wage of $21.00 is 2.9× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Counter and Rental Clerks (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $41,300 → in 3 years $44,900 → in 5 years $47,500 → in 10 years $54,600 (10-year range $47,000–$63,400). The model assumes pay growth of +2.8% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Counter and Rental Clerks
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Counter and Rental Clerks? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Counter and Rental Clerks
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Counter and Rental Clerks United States | レンタカー店舗スタッフ Japan | ビデオレンタル店店員 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $41,300 | ¥4.03M ≈ $25,607 | ¥4.03M ≈ $25,607 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $54,600 | ¥5.31M | ¥5.29M |
| Outlook score | 44 | 49 | 46 |
| AI replacement risk | 54% Moderate | 46% Moderate | 50% Moderate |
| Workers | 401K | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Counter and Rental Clerks
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become counter and rental clerks
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as counter and rental clerks
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.