Counter and Rental Clerks
Also called: Counter Clerk, Rental Agent, Rental Sales Representative, Video ClerkReceive orders, generally in person, for repairs, rentals, and services. May describe available options, compute cost, and accept payment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 13 of its 16 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 3.0% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 6.4 hires for every 10 job openings in real estate and rental and leasing, which employs about 45% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.6.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $35,170 | $28,580 to $41,680 | 8,010 |
| Alaska | $43,450 | $39,130 to $50,700 | 660 |
| Arizona | $43,920 | $37,910 to $56,240 | 11,080 |
| Arkansas | $34,940 | $29,140 to $46,420 | 3,560 |
| California | $45,010 | $37,630 to $53,640 | 67,770 |
| Colorado | $46,240 | $38,950 to $59,570 | 13,900 |
| Connecticut | $39,490 | $36,060 to $51,460 | 3,060 |
| Delaware | $38,600 | $35,140 to $48,260 | 870 |
| District of Columbia | $53,760 | $49,970 to $57,310 | 480 |
| Florida | $37,870 | $31,390 to $46,640 | 27,160 |
| Georgia | $38,590 | $33,280 to $47,130 | 11,490 |
| Guam | $23,600 | $21,810 to $28,970 | 200 |
| Hawaii | $44,420 | $36,980 to $52,000 | 1,700 |
| Idaho | $39,370 | $34,160 to $48,470 | 2,070 |
| Illinois | $38,140 | $35,660 to $48,880 | 8,440 |
| Indiana | $36,680 | $29,670 to $45,100 | 7,990 |
| Iowa | $38,960 | $35,920 to $48,190 | 1,900 |
| Kansas | $39,090 | $33,360 to $60,080 | 2,990 |
| Kentucky | $38,990 | $31,290 to $47,750 | 2,960 |
| Louisiana | $34,910 | $27,910 to $44,200 | 3,740 |
| Maine | $46,870 | $37,920 to $51,380 | 1,180 |
| Maryland | $39,490 | $36,210 to $50,140 | 4,060 |
| Massachusetts | $44,070 | $38,430 to $50,780 | 8,220 |
| Michigan | $39,350 | $34,740 to $49,140 | 13,410 |
| Minnesota | $44,850 | $36,930 to $57,360 | 4,710 |
| Mississippi | $36,160 | $29,360 to $46,940 | 2,820 |
| Missouri | $37,920 | $34,050 to $50,230 | 4,880 |
| Montana | $43,900 | $36,920 to $49,560 | 1,490 |
| Nebraska | $36,450 | $29,400 to $43,830 | 3,960 |
| Nevada | $39,140 | $31,200 to $46,350 | 2,460 |
| New Hampshire | $47,250 | $38,590 to $62,400 | 1,590 |
| New Jersey | $48,900 | $39,240 to $59,020 | 9,540 |
| New Mexico | $35,580 | $29,430 to $42,970 | 2,360 |
| New York | $46,270 | $38,980 to $58,130 | 18,320 |
| North Carolina | $38,230 | $31,670 to $47,570 | 17,580 |
| North Dakota | $44,620 | $35,970 to $57,660 | 1,460 |
| Ohio | $38,590 | $31,040 to $50,040 | 9,400 |
| Oklahoma | $37,160 | $29,680 to $46,330 | 3,920 |
| Oregon | $43,820 | $36,990 to $56,960 | 5,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,910 | $33,470 to $50,590 | 10,780 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,110 | $22,760 to $30,090 | 1,680 |
| Rhode Island | $46,360 | $37,530 to $59,330 | 840 |
| South Carolina | $37,340 | $30,680 to $44,630 | 6,280 |
| South Dakota | $36,400 | $29,060 to $42,650 | 690 |
| Tennessee | $37,960 | $31,260 to $46,620 | 7,640 |
| Texas | $37,250 | $31,200 to $45,810 | 36,600 |
| Utah | $37,550 | $33,280 to $48,480 | 3,280 |
| Vermont | $48,430 | $39,430 to $58,440 | 750 |
| Virgin Islands | $29,560 | $28,680 to $32,010 | 140 |
| Virginia | $45,540 | $37,280 to $58,790 | 12,910 |
| Washington | $47,820 | $42,300 to $58,610 | 14,600 |
| West Virginia | $34,780 | $27,840 to $42,350 | 2,300 |
| Wisconsin | $45,720 | $36,650 to $57,410 | 6,600 |
| Wyoming | $43,860 | $36,910 to $49,200 | 900 |
Nationally: $41,300. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 13 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments. | Not published |
| AI alone | Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders. | Not published |
| AI + software | Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental. | Not published |
| AI alone | Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise customers on use and care of merchandise. | 0.46% |
| AI alone | Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description. | under 0.01% |
See all 16 tasks
| AI alone | Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services. | 2.25% |
| AI alone | Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses. | Not published |
| AI alone | Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented. | Not published |
| AI + software | Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental. | Not published |
| AI alone | Allocate equipment to participants in sporting events or recreational activities. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
- and 3 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services |
Show all 13 activities
| Explain financial information | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Sell products or services |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation48%
- An explanation or answer21%
- A plan or strategy8%
- A document or report3%
- A recipe or meal plan3%
How they worked with Claude
14% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for counter and rental clerks specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 17,757 moves out
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 13,699 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 7%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% less than high school
- 56% high school
- 13% some college
- 9% associate's
- 20% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 11% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 26% some college
- 10% associate's
- 19% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 625 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
23.4% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/41-2021.00