Retail Salespersons salary in the US
What do retail salespersons actually earn, and how does that change with age, education and location? These figures come straight from Census survey microdata.
How much do retail salespersons earn?
If you lined up all retail salespersons by pay, the person in the middle would earn about $32,743 a year — 38% less than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. Of the 171 occupation groups in our data, just 28 have a lower median. That estimate rests on 108,502 individual Census survey responses from workers 25 and up.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $103,871 |
| Top 25% start at | $59,662 |
| Median (top 50%) | $32,743 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $15,767 |
How wide is the pay range?
This is a field with a long upper tail: $59,662 gets you into the top quarter, but the top 10% starts near $103,871, 3.2× what the median worker earns. On the lower side, 25% reported $15,767 or less. These are annual totals, so part-time schedules and partial years pull this number down. Put differently, the middle earner makes 2.1× what someone at the 25th percentile does.
Earnings by age
Mid-career workers out-earn new entrants, but not dramatically — the median goes from $30,458 (25–34) to $39,105 (45–54). By 65+ the median is $20,989, down 46% from the high point, as many people phase into retirement.
Men and women
By sex, the medians are $42,771 (men) and $24,366 (women) — a 43% difference. About 48% of the sampled workers are women, going by raw survey counts. Because these are annual totals, more part-time work in one group widens the gap; the survey doesn't adjust for that.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $42,771 | 56,560 |
| Women | $24,366 | 51,942 |
Does education change the pay?
The spread by education is moderate — 39% between workers with a doctorate ($30,146) and those with a bachelor's degree ($41,763). Most workers surveyed in this job have some college or an associate degree (39,041 records); any level under 100 records is blank in the table.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $30,320 | 38,810 |
| Some college / associate | $32,517 | 39,041 |
| Bachelor's | $41,763 | 24,688 |
| Master's | $30,550 | 5,017 |
| Professional degree | $33,866 | 609 |
| Doctorate | $30,146 | 337 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
In terms of headcount in the survey, California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania lead the country. California pays best of the five ($33,516 median); New York pays least ($31,484). These are nominal dollars — living costs differ just as much between states and aren't adjusted for. 51 states have enough records (100+) for their own figure.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $33,516 | 12,397 |
| Texas | $32,848 | 9,358 |
| Florida | $33,411 | 8,308 |
| New York | $31,484 | 6,534 |
| Pennsylvania | $32,994 | 4,314 |
Occupations with similar pay
Nearby on the pay scale are nursing assistants ($33,198), receptionists and information clerks ($32,218), first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers ($33,503), and hand laborers and freight movers ($33,583). Similar pay doesn't mean similar work — training, hours and risk differ — but it's a useful reference when weighing a move.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Assistants | $33,198 | +1% |
| Receptionists | $32,218 | −2% |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Food Preparation And Serving Workers | $33,503 | +2% |
| Freight and Material Movers | $33,583 | +3% |
| Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers | $31,484 | −4% |
About these figures
How to read these numbers: they are annual personal earnings (wages plus self-employment income) for people aged 25+ who reported working as retail salespersons, pooled over 2020–2024 and adjusted to 2024 dollars. Part-time and part-year workers are included. Every group shown has at least 100 survey records; 108,502 records sit behind the headline median.
See where your pay ranks among retail salespersons
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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.