Best Cities for Counter and Rental Clerkss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where counter and rental clerkss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	WisconsinState	1.20	$45,720	$49,534	28%
2	North DakotaState	1.17	$44,620	$48,186	26%
3	District of ColumbiaState	1.14	$53,760	$47,034	47%
4	MaineState	1.14	$46,870	$46,964	33%
5	VermontState	1.14	$48,430	$47,249	35%
6	WyomingState	1.14	$43,860	$47,161	27%
7	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.13	$42,470	$46,568	34%
8	Rhode IslandState	1.12	$46,360	$46,129	39%
9	MinnesotaState	1.11	$44,850	$45,765	34%
10	MontanaState	1.10	$43,900	$45,539	31%
11	New JerseyState	1.09	$48,900	$44,945	44%
12	New HampshireState	1.08	$47,250	$44,575	40%
13	WashingtonState	1.08	$47,820	$44,567	48%
14	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.08	$44,410	$44,633	40%
15	KentuckyState	1.07	$38,990	$44,056	29%
16	PennsylvaniaState	1.07	$42,910	$44,237	36%
17	VirginiaState	1.07	$45,540	$44,000	42%
18	ColoradoState	1.06	$46,240	$43,871	48%
19	IowaState	1.06	$38,960	$43,677	29%
20	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.06	$45,310	$43,778	42%
21	ArizonaState	1.05	$43,920	$43,528	41%
22	KansasState	1.05	$39,090	$43,433	32%
23	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.05	$40,190	$43,308	38%
24	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.05	$49,350	$43,176	53%
25	MissouriState	1.04	$37,920	$42,799	33%
26	MichiganState	1.03	$39,350	$42,633	34%
27	MississippiState	1.03	$36,160	$42,642	30%
28	OhioState	1.03	$38,590	$42,688	32%
29	OregonState	1.03	$43,820	$42,544	44%
30	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.03	$45,760	$42,449	47%
31	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.03	$48,010	$42,562	50%
32	OklahomaState	1.02	$37,160	$41,989	31%
33	AlaskaState	1.01	$43,450	$41,659	38%
34	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.01	$39,770	$41,514	45%
35	Columbus, OHMetro	1.01	$39,180	$41,904	40%
36	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.01	$38,460	$41,578	37%
37	GeorgiaState	1.00	$38,590	$41,317	44%
38	New YorkState	1.00	$46,270	$41,129	48%
39	TennesseeState	1.00	$37,960	$41,486	40%
40	West VirginiaState	1.00	$34,780	$41,306	29%
41	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.00	$39,890	$41,466	47%
42	IdahoState	0.99	$39,370	$40,798	37%
43	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.99	$39,530	$40,837	49%
44	AlabamaState	0.98	$35,170	$40,379	33%
45	ArkansasState	0.98	$34,940	$40,487	30%
46	CaliforniaState	0.98	$45,010	$40,659	60%
47	HawaiiState	0.98	$44,420	$40,382	64%
48	IndianaState	0.98	$36,680	$40,530	34%
49	MassachusettsState	0.98	$44,070	$40,618	61%
50	North CarolinaState	0.98	$38,230	$40,498	41%
51	South CarolinaState	0.98	$37,340	$40,587	40%
52	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	0.98	$48,570	$40,408	78%
53	South DakotaState	0.97	$36,400	$40,088	32%
54	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.97	$45,510	$40,097	67%
55	NebraskaState	0.96	$36,450	$39,836	34%
56	IllinoisState	0.95	$38,140	$39,158	41%
57	NevadaState	0.95	$39,140	$39,062	45%
58	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.95	$38,110	$39,208	50%
59	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.95	$35,940	$39,065	44%
60	LouisianaState	0.94	$34,910	$38,746	36%
61	New MexicoState	0.94	$35,580	$38,674	35%
62	TexasState	0.94	$37,250	$38,964	45%
63	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.94	$38,080	$38,660	54%
64	DelawareState	0.93	$38,600	$38,218	42%
65	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.92	$44,460	$38,163	61%
66	UtahState	0.91	$37,550	$37,475	48%
67	FloridaState	0.90	$37,870	$37,310	55%
68	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	0.90	$39,490	$37,325	51%
69	ConnecticutState	0.89	$39,490	$36,701	48%
70	MarylandState	0.88	$39,490	$36,163	51%
71	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.84	$37,460	$34,525	65%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).