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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

41-2031 Retail Salespersons

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers. Excludes “Cashiers” (41-2011).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
4,317,950 0.5 % $14.12 $29,360 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.09 $10.47 $12.14 $15.13 $20.57
Annual Wage (2) $18,900 $21,780 $25,250 $31,480 $42,780


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Merchandise Stores 840,890 26.87 $12.38 $25,740
Clothing Stores 695,590 67.52 $13.07 $27,190
Building Material and Supplies Dealers 440,750 38.44 $14.97 $31,130
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores 269,760 55.50 $12.55 $26,110
Automobile Dealers 266,310 20.55 $21.28 $44,270

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Shoe Stores 145,420 71.37 $12.63 $26,260
Clothing Stores 695,590 67.52 $13.07 $27,190
Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Stores 80,530 60.50 $15.32 $31,850
Book Stores and News Dealers 44,340 57.61 $11.93 $24,810
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores 269,760 55.50 $12.55 $26,110

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 50 0.01 $23.75 $49,390
Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 5,070 1.44 $22.61 $47,030
Building Finishing Contractors 1,700 0.20 $21.41 $44,540
Automobile Dealers 266,310 20.55 $21.28 $44,270
Building Equipment Contractors 2,150 0.10 $21.23 $44,150


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 418,900 24.10 0.82 $15.79 $32,850
Texas 383,920 30.88 1.05 $13.29 $27,640
Florida 325,640 37.03 1.26 $13.35 $27,760
New York 288,630 30.31 1.03 $15.53 $32,310
Pennsylvania 159,180 26.97 0.92 $13.80 $28,710




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 24,940 39.24 1.33 $15.93 $33,130
Florida 325,640 37.03 1.26 $13.35 $27,760
New Hampshire 24,400 36.94 1.26 $14.24 $29,620
South Dakota 15,260 35.89 1.22 $14.72 $30,620
South Carolina 71,670 34.00 1.16 $13.07 $27,180




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 6,620 9.16 0.31 $17.56 $36,520
Washington 106,070 31.96 1.09 $17.08 $35,520
Connecticut 41,900 25.16 0.86 $16.46 $34,230
North Dakota 12,540 29.68 1.01 $16.11 $33,520
Hawaii 24,940 39.24 1.33 $15.93 $33,130





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 290,640 30.10 1.02 $15.53 $32,300
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 149,070 23.89 0.81 $15.86 $33,000
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 125,620 26.86 0.91 $13.94 $28,990
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 115,960 31.71 1.08 $13.68 $28,460
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 100,750 38.13 1.30 $13.40 $27,870
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 87,880 28.79 0.98 $12.51 $26,020
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 85,990 31.34 1.07 $13.02 $27,080
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 75,850 26.37 0.90 $14.81 $30,810
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 72,710 25.99 0.88 $15.18 $31,580
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 68,870 21.66 0.74 $14.65 $30,480




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 5,030 67.51 2.30 $13.61 $28,320
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 10,450 62.45 2.12 $12.81 $26,650
Punta Gorda, FL 2,760 57.31 1.95 $14.64 $30,460
Saginaw, MI 4,890 57.21 1.95 $13.54 $28,160
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 2,120 56.60 1.93 $11.32 $23,550
Elmira, NY 1,900 55.17 1.88 $13.85 $28,800
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 6,210 55.15 1.88 $13.68 $28,460
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 4,270 54.28 1.85 $15.63 $32,520
Santa Fe, NM 3,270 52.64 1.79 $15.09 $31,380
East Stroudsburg, PA 2,980 52.43 1.78 $12.59 $26,200




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 11,120 26.87 0.91 $18.89 $39,300
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 22,650 19.86 0.68 $18.46 $38,400
Napa, CA 1,930 25.02 0.85 $18.31 $38,090
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 59,680 29.53 1.00 $18.24 $37,950
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 6,160 38.30 1.30 $18.00 $37,440
Danbury, CT 3,150 40.66 1.38 $17.93 $37,290
Bismarck, ND 2,710 38.36 1.30 $17.89 $37,210
Carson City, NV 960 32.66 1.11 $17.62 $36,640
Grants Pass, OR 680 25.74 0.88 $17.37 $36,140
Wenatchee, WA 1,970 40.99 1.39 $17.08 $35,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 9,500 24.11 0.82 $13.27 $27,600
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 8,900 32.18 1.09 $13.13 $27,310
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 8,560 31.35 1.07 $13.42 $27,920
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 7,480 22.38 0.76 $14.28 $29,700
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 7,290 28.03 0.95 $13.12 $27,290

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 2,040 55.87 1.90 $12.83 $26,680
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area 3,520 46.84 1.59 $13.10 $27,260
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 5,410 43.71 1.49 $14.13 $29,390
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 4,280 43.18 1.47 $15.81 $32,880
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 5,610 41.57 1.41 $12.23 $25,440

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 730 22.35 0.76 $18.07 $37,590
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,220 19.05 0.65 $17.89 $37,210
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 4,710 38.30 1.30 $17.84 $37,110
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 5,690 28.22 0.96 $17.76 $36,950
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 3,250 25.84 0.88 $17.10 $35,560


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020