Cashiers salary in the US
What do cashiers actually earn, and how does that change with age, education and location? These figures come straight from Census survey microdata.
How much do cashiers earn?
The typical (median) annual earnings for cashiers come to $20,285, which is 61% less than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. By median pay it sits 168th out of 171, among the occupations where a typical year of earnings is smallest. The figures come from 77,528 survey records of people aged 25 and older with earnings in this occupation.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $47,730 |
| Top 25% start at | $31,484 |
| Median (top 50%) | $20,285 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $10,153 |
How wide is the pay range?
Pay inside this occupation is unusually spread out. Reaching the top 10% takes about $47,730 — 2.4 times the median — while the top 25% starts near $31,484. On the lower side, 25% reported $10,153 or less. These are annual totals, so part-time schedules and partial years pull this number down. That leaves a 2.0-to-1 ratio between the median and the 25th percentile.
Earnings by age
Earnings build steadily with age, from a median of $18,890 at 25–34 to $22,672 at 45–54 (+20%). Among those 65 and older who still work, the median is $15,229, 33% below the peak — reduced schedules explain much of that.
Men and women
Men's median earnings are $23,865 and women's are $18,890, so women's median is 21% lower. Women make up roughly 75% of the survey records here (an unweighted count, so treat it as approximate). The comparison isn't like-for-like on hours or seniority, so read it as a description rather than a pay-equity measure.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $23,865 | 19,150 |
| Women | $18,890 | 58,378 |
Does education change the pay?
From a professional degree to a bachelor's degree, the median rises from $19,161 to $21,996, a 15% gap. The largest group in the sample has a high school education or less (42,665 records). Levels with fewer than 100 records are left out rather than estimated.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $20,305 | 42,665 |
| Some college / associate | $19,210 | 24,332 |
| Bachelor's | $21,996 | 8,232 |
| Master's | $20,305 | 1,838 |
| Professional degree | $19,161 | 312 |
| Doctorate | $19,283 | 149 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania contribute the largest numbers of survey records for this job. Among them, California has the highest median at $25,695 and Pennsylvania the lowest at $18,478, a 39% spread. 50 states have 100+ records for this job; elsewhere the sample is too small to publish, and none of the figures adjust for local prices.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $25,695 | 9,483 |
| Texas | $20,285 | 6,249 |
| Florida | $20,150 | 5,033 |
| New York | $22,344 | 4,882 |
| Pennsylvania | $18,478 | 3,031 |
Occupations with similar pay
Similar typical earnings show up for fast food and counter workers ($20,102), maids and housekeeping cleaners ($20,989), food preparation workers ($21,478), and childcare workers ($19,092). Each of these takes a different path in, but a typical year's earnings lands in the same range.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | $20,102 | −1% |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $20,989 | +3% |
| Food Preparation Workers | $21,478 | +6% |
| Childcare Workers | $19,092 | −6% |
| Exercise Trainers And Group Fitness Instructors | $22,344 | +10% |
About these figures
About the data: the American Community Survey asks people their occupation and earnings; we pool the 2020–2024 responses, convert them to 2024 dollars, and weight each person to represent the population. The 77,528 records for cashiers include part-time workers, so these are annual totals rather than full-time salaries.
See where your pay ranks among cashiers
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.