Retail Salespersons Salary: $43,835 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 3,800,250 retail salespersons nationally earn a mean of $43,835. Projections imply about 2.1% annual decline; much hiring sits in retail trade.
Key Statistics
Retail Salespersons: what the data shows
Common questions about retail salespersons careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a retail salespersons?
Retail Salespersons is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 41-2031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 3,800,250 workers.
What does a retail salespersons do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Selling or Influencing Others, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a retail salespersons make?
BLS national median annual wage: $34,580 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $43,835 — 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 | $35,062 |
| 25th percentile | $36,197 |
| Median (50th) | $38,089 |
| 75th percentile | $45,369 |
| 90th percentile | $54,991 |
What education do you need?
For Retail 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 Persuasion, Speaking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Negotiation, and knowledge areas including Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is retail salespersons in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -10.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -18.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 3,800,250.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do retail salespersonss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 3,800,250 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 3,786,110 | 19.7% |
| Retail Trade | 3,445,820 | 17.9% |
| General Merchandise Retailers | 1,403,860 | 7.3% |
| Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | 694,280 | 3.6% |
| Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers | 605,640 | 3.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Retail Salespersons in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Retail Salespersons workforce.
Employment Over Time
3,800,250 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.
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:
- CA: 352,860 employees, $42,870 avg wage
- TX: 329,520 employees, $33,580 avg wage
- FL: 325,960 employees, $35,640 avg wage
- NY: 233,740 employees, $42,700 avg wage
- PA: 143,460 employees, $34,320 avg wage
- GA: 142,520 employees, $32,980 avg wage
- IL: 132,880 employees, $38,230 avg wage
- OH: 127,070 employees, $35,230 avg wage
- NC: 126,060 employees, $33,700 avg wage
- MI: 111,210 employees, $38,270 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Retail Salespersons.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 212,470 employees, $43,740 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 122,120 employees, $42,690 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 102,320 employees, $38,840 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 94,100 employees, $35,050 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 90,630 employees, $36,860 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 83,160 employees, $34,420 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 75,920 employees, $33,820 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 65,060 employees, $39,440 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 64,820 employees, $36,570 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 64,030 employees, $38,710 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 3,800,250 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 3,800,250 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.