Parts Salespersons Salary: $48,079 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 265,060 parts salespersons nationally earn a mean of $48,079. Projections imply about 1.3% annual growth; much hiring sits in retail trade.
Key Statistics
Parts Salespersons: what the data shows
Common questions about parts salespersons careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a parts salespersons?
Parts Salespersons is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 41-2022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 265,060 workers.
What does a parts salespersons do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a parts salespersons make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,440 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $48,079 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,921 |
| 25th percentile | $36,810 |
| Median (50th) | $43,201 |
| 75th percentile | $52,056 |
| 90th percentile | $66,443 |
What education do you need?
For Parts Salespersons, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Persuasion, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is parts salespersons in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 6.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 14.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 265,060.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do parts salespersonss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 265,060 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 264,920 | 19.8% |
| Retail Trade | 196,260 | 14.6% |
| Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | 188,750 | 14.1% |
| Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Retailers | 117,730 | 8.8% |
| Automobile Dealers | 59,750 | 4.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Parts Salespersons in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Parts Salespersons workforce.
Employment Over Time
265,060 Workforce in 2023
The Parts Salespersons workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Parts Salespersons.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$48,079 Average Wage
In 2023, Parts Salespersons earned an average of $48,079.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Parts Salespersons.
Salary distribution for Parts Salespersons.
Employment Growth Projections
1.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
113,284 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 6.9%
121,046 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 14.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Parts Salespersons.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Parts Salespersons and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Parts Salespersons employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Parts Salespersons.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Parts Salespersons.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Parts Salespersons.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 27,150 employees, $39,590 avg wage
- CA: 26,750 employees, $47,020 avg wage
- FL: 15,220 employees, $38,960 avg wage
- PA: 9,740 employees, $40,920 avg wage
- NC: 9,730 employees, $38,960 avg wage
- OH: 9,580 employees, $38,810 avg wage
- IL: 9,280 employees, $44,550 avg wage
- GA: 8,900 employees, $41,280 avg wage
- MI: 8,540 employees, $41,790 avg wage
- IN: 7,760 employees, $40,320 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Parts Salespersons.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,580 employees, $46,900 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 7,660 employees, $41,650 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 6,400 employees, $40,020 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,930 employees, $46,820 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,360 employees, $49,980 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 5,060 employees, $42,770 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 3,960 employees, $47,210 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3,870 employees, $39,340 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,760 employees, $43,240 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 3,510 employees, $45,590 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Parts Salespersons.
Diversity
Demographic information on Parts Salespersons in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Parts Salespersons in 2023 was 265,060 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Parts 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 Parts Salespersons.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Parts Salespersons.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Parts Salespersons in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Marketing.
Common majors for Parts Salespersons.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Parts Salespersons workers.
Education level distribution for Parts Salespersons.
Skills
Parts Salespersons need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Persuasion, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Parts Salespersons.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Parts Salespersons.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Parts Salespersons include Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Administrative, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Parts Salespersons.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Parts Salespersons include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Parts Salespersons.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Parts Salespersons.
Daily Activities
Parts Salespersons spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Parts Salespersons.
About
Parts Salespersons
The average yearly wage for Parts Salespersons was $48,079 in 2023.
SOC Code
41-2022 - Parts Salespersons
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Parts Salespersons reports an average salary of $48,079.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 265,060 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.3%, 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.