Counter and Rental Clerks Salary
Counter and Rental Clerks in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC make a median of $38,480 a year, or about $18.5 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $60K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $39,438 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,711/month, about 64% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $38K get you in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About counter and rental clerks
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What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Counter and rental clerks pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $38K locally vs. $41K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,711/month, which is 65.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for counter and rental clerks in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $40K | $41K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $39K | $40K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $37K | $40K |
| Wilmington | $38K | $39K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level counter and rental clerks (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $38K. Top earners bring in $60K or more, a $33K spread from bottom to top.
Counter and Rental Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Counter and Rental Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $54K | +30% | 480 |
| New Jersey | $49K | +18% | 9,540 |
| Vermont | $48K | +17% | 750 |
| Washington | $48K | +16% | 14,600 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | +14% | 1,590 |
| Maine | $47K | +13% | 1,180 |
| Rhode Island | $46K | +12% | 840 |
| New York | $46K | +12% | 18,320 |
| Colorado | $46K | +12% | 13,900 |
| Wisconsin | $46K | +11% | 6,600 |
| Virginia | $46K | +10% | 12,910 |
| California | $45K | +9% | 67,770 |
| Minnesota | $45K | +9% | 4,710 |
| North Dakota | $45K | +8% | 1,460 |
| Hawaii | $44K | +8% | 1,700 |
| Massachusetts | $44K | +7% | 8,220 |
| Arizona | $44K | +6% | 11,080 |
| Montana | $44K | +6% | 1,490 |
| Wyoming | $44K | +6% | 900 |
| Oregon | $44K | +6% | 5,450 |
| Alaska | $43K | +5% | 660 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | +4% | 10,780 |
| Maryland | $39K | -4% | 4,060 |
| Connecticut | $39K | -4% | 3,060 |
| Idaho | $39K | -5% | 2,070 |
| Michigan | $39K | -5% | 13,410 |
| Nevada | $39K | -5% | 2,460 |
| Kansas | $39K | -5% | 2,990 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -6% | 2,960 |
| Iowa | $39K | -6% | 1,900 |
| Delaware | $39K | -7% | 870 |
| Ohio | $39K | -7% | 9,400 |
| Georgia | $39K | -7% | 11,490 |
| North Carolina | $38K | -7% | 17,580 |
| Illinois | $38K | -8% | 8,440 |
| Tennessee | $38K | -8% | 7,640 |
| Missouri | $38K | -8% | 4,880 |
| Florida | $38K | -8% | 27,160 |
| Utah | $38K | -9% | 3,280 |
| South Carolina | $37K | -10% | 6,280 |
| Texas | $37K | -10% | 36,600 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -10% | 3,920 |
| Indiana | $37K | -11% | 7,990 |
| Nebraska | $36K | -12% | 3,960 |
| South Dakota | $36K | -12% | 690 |
| Mississippi | $36K | -12% | 2,820 |
| New Mexico | $36K | -14% | 2,360 |
| Alabama | $35K | -15% | 8,010 |
| Arkansas | $35K | -15% | 3,560 |
| Louisiana | $35K | -15% | 3,740 |
| West Virginia | $35K | -16% | 2,300 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track counter and rental clerks salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a counter and rental clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $38K, rent takes 65.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for counter and rental clerks in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new counter and rental clerks typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,607/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 106% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is counter and rental clerk a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $38K locally vs. $41K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for counter and rental clerks?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $38K median vs. the U.S. average of $41K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — below the national median.
How much do counter and rental clerks make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $38,480 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,790, and experienced counter and rental clerks can clear $60,250. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $38K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,602/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 65.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a counter and rental clerks salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median counter and rental clerks salary is worth about $39,438 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do counter and rental clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.