Retail Salespersons
With 352,860 professionals, Retail Salespersons is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Retail Salespersons workforce.
Employment Over Time
352,860 Workforce in 2023
The Retail Salespersons workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Retail Salespersons.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,835 Average Wage
In 2023, Retail Salespersons earned an average of $43,835.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Retail Salespersons.
Salary distribution for Retail Salespersons.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,255,112 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -10.0%
1,130,079 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -18.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Retail Salespersons.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Retail Salespersons and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Retail Salespersons employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Retail Salespersons.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Retail Salespersons.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Retail Salespersons.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 325,140 employees, $44,024 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Retail Salespersons.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 89,060 employees, $43,382 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 38,030 employees, $41,954 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 33,060 employees, $44,366 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 31,420 employees, $42,864 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 22,240 employees, $43,590 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 20,540 employees, $48,801 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 17,420 employees, $49,111 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 14,040 employees, $48,343 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 8,830 employees, $40,655 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 7,990 employees, $42,322 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Retail Salespersons.
Diversity
Demographic information on Retail Salespersons in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Retail Salespersons in 2023 was 352,860 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Retail Salespersons.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Retail Salespersons.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Retail Salespersons.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Retail Salespersons in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Marketing.
Common majors for Retail Salespersons.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Retail Salespersons workers.
Education level distribution for Retail Salespersons.
Skills
Retail Salespersons need many skills, but most especially Persuasion, Speaking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Retail Salespersons.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Retail Salespersons.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Retail Salespersons include Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Retail Salespersons.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Retail Salespersons include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Retail Salespersons.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Retail Salespersons.
Daily Activities
Retail Salespersons spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Selling or Influencing Others, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Retail Salespersons.
About
Retail Salespersons
The average yearly wage for Retail Salespersons was $43,835 in 2023.
SOC Code
41-2031 - Retail Salespersons
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Retail Salespersons reports an average salary of $43,835.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 352,860 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.