Pay for counter & rental clerks is unusually consistent across the country: $22,410 at the bottom of the range, $49,400 at the top, a spread of only 2.2×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of counter & rental clerks earn below $29,800 and ten per cent above $65,370 — a 2.19× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 58%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area () leads and Ponce (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area | $49,400 | $23.75 | 1.2 | 310 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $49,350 | $23.73 | 1.7 | 9,140 |
| East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $49,180 | $23.65 | 0.72 | 120 |
| Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area | $49,050 | $23.58 | 0.86 | 100 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $48,630 | $23.38 | 1.07 | 330 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $48,600 | $23.37 | 0.56 | 350 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $48,570 | $23.35 | 0.98 | 2,880 |
| Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $48,430 | $23.28 | 1.07 | 240 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $48,090 | $23.12 | 0.68 | 510 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $48,040 | $23.10 | 0.69 | 16,880 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $48,010 | $23.08 | 0.79 | 6,410 |
| Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $47,880 | $23.02 | 0.77 | 180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $47,740 | $22.95 | 1.26 | 7,700 |
| Sheboygan WI | $47,610 | $22.89 | 0.7 | 110 |
| Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $47,530 | $22.85 | 0.71 | 260 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA | $47,450 | $22.81 | 1.82 | 240 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $47,440 | $22.81 | 1.14 | 320 |
| Greeley CO | $47,410 | $22.79 | 1.53 | 470 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $47,340 | $22.76 | 0.87 | 90 |
| Madison WI | $47,300 | $22.74 | 0.71 | 750 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $47,200 | $22.69 | 0.45 | 50 |
| Minot ND | $47,170 | $22.68 | 1.83 | 160 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah WI | $47,110 | $22.65 | 0.79 | 190 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $47,030 | $22.61 | 2.11 | 400 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $46,970 | $22.58 | 1.42 | 340 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $22,410 | $10.77 | 0.59 | 100 |
| Aguadilla PR | $22,510 | $10.82 | 0.94 | 120 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,530 | $10.83 | 0.54 | 50 |
| Mayaguez PR | $22,690 | $10.91 | 0.35 | 50 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $23,190 | $11.15 | 0.73 | 1,290 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $26,820 | $12.89 | 0.83 | 60 |
| East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $29,150 | $14.02 | 0.48 | 170 |
| Hammond LA | $29,460 | $14.16 | 0.63 | 80 |
| Las Cruces NM | $29,510 | $14.19 | 0.94 | 190 |
| Laredo TX | $30,250 | $14.54 | 1.02 | 290 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $45,330 | $21.80 | 3.23 | 1,100 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $33,810 | $16.25 | 3 | 670 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $47,030 | $22.61 | 2.11 | 400 |
| Grand Junction CO | $44,060 | $21.18 | 2.09 | 360 |
| Casper WY | $38,480 | $18.50 | 2.04 | 210 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $45,490 | $21.87 | 2.03 | 570 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | $37,650 | $18.10 | 1.99 | 290 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $43,510 | $20.92 | 1.97 | 1,600 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley WA | $46,420 | $22.32 | 1.96 | 1,290 |
| Fayetteville NC | $35,850 | $17.24 | 1.94 | 660 |
| Wilmington NC | $37,900 | $18.22 | 1.91 | 940 |
| Victoria TX | $34,940 | $16.80 | 1.91 | 190 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $44,460 | $21.37 | 1.66 | 26,870 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $48,040 | $23.10 | 0.69 | 16,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $38,110 | $18.32 | 1.04 | 10,860 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $49,350 | $23.73 | 1.7 | 9,140 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $44,760 | $21.52 | 1.32 | 8,100 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $37,710 | $18.13 | 0.93 | 7,920 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $37,460 | $18.01 | 1.07 | 7,790 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $46,900 | $22.55 | 1.87 | 7,760 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $47,740 | $22.95 | 1.26 | 7,700 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $39,530 | $19.01 | 0.96 | 7,130 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $43,130 | $20.74 | 1.51 | 6,660 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $48,010 | $23.08 | 0.79 | 6,410 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 41-2021. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 526 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.