Counter and Rental Clerks Salary
Counter and Rental Clerks in Lansing-East Lansing, MI make a median of $37,940 a year, or about $18.24 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.99), which stretches that salary to about $39,941 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,268/month, about 49% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $38K actually covers in Lansing-East Lansing, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lansing-East Lansing’s Regional Price Parity (94.99). 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 Lansing-East Lansing
Counter and rental clerks pay in Lansing-East Lansing tracks closely to the national median, $38K locally vs. $41K nationwide, a 8% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,268/month, which is 49.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.99 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for counter and rental clerks in metros near Lansing-East Lansing, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $42K | $42K |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood | $38K | $40K |
| Ann Arbor | $39K | $39K |
| Kalamazoo-Portage | $39K | $41K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Entry-level counter and rental clerks (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $38K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $31K 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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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a counter and rental clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lansing-East Lansing?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $38K, rent takes 49.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,268/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 Lansing-East Lansing?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new counter and rental clerks typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,051/month. At HUD’s $1,268/month FMR, rent would take 62% 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 Lansing-East Lansing?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $38K locally vs. $41K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does Lansing-East Lansing compare to the national average for counter and rental clerks?
Lansing-East Lansing pays $38K median vs. the U.S. average of $41K — that’s -8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.99), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do counter and rental clerks make in Lansing-East Lansing, MI?
The median is $37,940 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,660, and experienced counter and rental clerks can clear $60,630. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $38K enough to live in Lansing-East Lansing?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,576/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,268/month, which eats 49.2% 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 Lansing-East Lansing?
Lansing-East Lansing has a Regional Price Parity of 94.99 (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 $39,941 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.