Hiring a counter and rental clerk in Mobile, AL
Employers in the Mobile, AL area pay counter and rental clerks a median of $35,480 a year, with the middle half of the market between $28,410 and $42,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 41-2021). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.
Do Mobile residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Mobile, AL area pay?
Mobile residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $30,014 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $50,520 as the median of the 13 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Mobile, AL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 41%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.
Both sides of that figure describe the whole sales and related group, not this one role. In the Mobile, AL area the group covers 13 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from cashiers at $28,240 to sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products at $81,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with counter and rental clerks at $35,480 inside it.
That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 13 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.
Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Mobile residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.
What does a counter and rental clerk earn here?
Place of work
What employers pay
| 25th percentile | $28,410 |
| Median | $35,480 |
| 75th percentile | $42,470 |
Half of counter and rental clerks in this area earn between $28,410 and $42,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $28,410 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 41-2021 at O*NET OnLine.
Place of residence
What Mobile residents earn
$30,014
Median annual earnings of Mobile residents working in sales and related occupations, 8,716 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.
What does the role actually involve?
Core 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.
Task statements for SOC 41-2021, O*NET OnLine 29.1.
Tools and technologies in demand
Inventory management systems, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Oracle Database, Database software.
Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 41-2021 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.
Is the talent actually in Mobile?
This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 41-2021.
It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 31.5% of Mobile adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Mobile aged 25 and over.
The average Mobile commute runs 22.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 8.1% of Mobile workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Mobile.
How often do these jobs turn over?
In Mobile County, retail trade employs 21,656 and turns over 11.9% a quarter, with 4,035 hires against 4,493 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $3,037 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 44-45.
That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about counter and rental clerks. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.
What does the search cost?
The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $35,480 median in the Mobile, AL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $7,096 to $10,644 on the first year salary alone.
One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.
Questions employers ask about hiring a counter and rental clerk in Mobile
- What does it cost to hire a counter and rental clerk in Mobile?
- Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $35,480 median wage in the Mobile, AL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $7,096 to $10,644 on the first year salary alone.
- What should an offer for a counter and rental clerk in Mobile look like?
- Employers in the Mobile, AL area pay counter and rental clerks a median of $35,480, with the middle half of the market between $28,410 and $42,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $28,410 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
- Do Mobile residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Mobile, AL area pay?
- Mobile residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $30,014 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $50,520 as the median of the 13 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Mobile, AL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 41%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
- Is the talent for this role already in Mobile?
- This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 31.5% of Mobile adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).
Price this search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.
Hiring a counter and rental clerk somewhere else?
Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.
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Other sales and related roles in Mobile
- Advertising Sales Agents in Mobile, AL
- Cashiers in Mobile, AL
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- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers in Mobile, AL
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- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in Mobile, AL
Related
- Hiring Counter and Rental Clerks: the role, the pay, the process
- Recruiting services in Mobile
- Every Alabama city we cover
Mobile is the 2nd largest of 2 Alabama cities in this dataset.