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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
41-2031 Retail Salespersons
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers. Excludes “Cashiers” (41-2011).
National estimates for Retail Salespersons
Industry profile for Retail Salespersons
Geographic profile for Retail Salespersons
National estimates for Retail Salespersons:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Retail Salespersons:
Employment (1) |
Employment RSE (3) |
Mean hourly wage |
Mean annual wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
3,693,490 |
0.3 % |
$ 15.35 |
$ 31,920 |
0.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Retail Salespersons:
Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50% (Median) |
75% |
90% |
Hourly Wage |
$ 10.50 |
$ 11.30 |
$ 14.00 |
$ 16.88 |
$ 21.85 |
Annual Wage (2) |
$ 21,840 |
$ 23,500 |
$ 29,120 |
$ 35,110 |
$ 45,460 |
Industry profile for Retail Salespersons:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Retail Salespersons are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Retail Salespersons, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Retail Salespersons:
Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
General Merchandise Stores |
708,760 |
22.98 |
$ 13.88 |
$ 28,870 |
Clothing Stores |
474,450 |
62.40 |
$ 13.20 |
$ 27,450 |
Building Material and Supplies Dealers |
462,020 |
37.04 |
$ 15.86 |
$ 32,980 |
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores |
250,720 |
54.67 |
$ 13.93 |
$ 28,960 |
Automobile Dealers |
233,420 |
19.13 |
$ 24.62 |
$ 51,210 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Retail Salespersons:
Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Shoe Stores |
115,260 |
70.23 |
$ 12.83 |
$ 26,690 |
Clothing Stores |
474,450 |
62.40 |
$ 13.20 |
$ 27,450 |
Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Stores |
58,650 |
54.86 |
$ 16.98 |
$ 35,320 |
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores |
250,720 |
54.67 |
$ 13.93 |
$ 28,960 |
Book Stores and News Dealers |
29,480 |
54.30 |
$ 12.62 |
$ 26,250 |
Top paying industries for Retail Salespersons:
Geographic profile for Retail Salespersons:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Retail Salespersons are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Retail Salespersons, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Retail Salespersons:
State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
California |
344,380 |
20.83 |
0.79 |
$ 17.46 |
$ 36,310 |
Texas |
321,980 |
26.34 |
1.00 |
$ 14.54 |
$ 30,230 |
Florida |
293,350 |
34.09 |
1.30 |
$ 14.35 |
$ 29,850 |
New York |
220,930 |
25.48 |
0.97 |
$ 17.58 |
$ 36,560 |
Illinois |
132,650 |
23.61 |
0.90 |
$ 15.53 |
$ 32,310 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Retail Salespersons:
State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Florida |
293,350 |
34.09 |
1.30 |
$ 14.35 |
$ 29,850 |
New Hampshire |
20,480 |
32.24 |
1.23 |
$ 16.07 |
$ 33,420 |
South Carolina |
66,110 |
31.98 |
1.22 |
$ 12.99 |
$ 27,020 |
Mississippi |
35,100 |
31.86 |
1.22 |
$ 13.23 |
$ 27,510 |
South Dakota |
13,280 |
31.54 |
1.20 |
$ 16.04 |
$ 33,360 |
Top paying states for Retail Salespersons:
State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Washington |
89,010 |
27.76 |
1.06 |
$ 17.89 |
$ 37,210 |
New York |
220,930 |
25.48 |
0.97 |
$ 17.58 |
$ 36,560 |
California |
344,380 |
20.83 |
0.79 |
$ 17.46 |
$ 36,310 |
Alaska |
7,450 |
25.19 |
0.96 |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
District of Columbia |
4,150 |
6.27 |
0.24 |
$ 17.36 |
$ 36,120 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Retail Salespersons:
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 |
222,410 |
25.63 |
0.98 |
$ 17.86 |
$ 37,140 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
120,220 |
21.02 |
0.80 |
$ 17.29 |
$ 35,970 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
103,040 |
24.34 |
0.93 |
$ 15.83 |
$ 32,930 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
96,580 |
26.91 |
1.03 |
$ 14.95 |
$ 31,100 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
85,870 |
35.02 |
1.34 |
$ 14.62 |
$ 30,410 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
77,830 |
30.07 |
1.15 |
$ 14.14 |
$ 29,410 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
70,670 |
24.39 |
0.93 |
$ 15.04 |
$ 31,290 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
65,340 |
24.61 |
0.94 |
$ 15.45 |
$ 32,130 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
62,510 |
21.32 |
0.81 |
$ 16.37 |
$ 34,060 |
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
59,730 |
23.11 |
0.88 |
$ 17.42 |
$ 36,240 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Retail Salespersons:
Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL |
4,330 |
58.20 |
2.22 |
$ 12.88 |
$ 26,800 |
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC |
8,980 |
55.35 |
2.11 |
$ 12.52 |
$ 26,050 |
Punta Gorda, FL |
2,370 |
48.39 |
1.85 |
$ 14.12 |
$ 29,380 |
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV |
1,660 |
47.81 |
1.82 |
$ 12.56 |
$ 26,130 |
Jacksonville, NC |
2,220 |
46.20 |
1.76 |
$ 13.08 |
$ 27,200 |
Sebring, FL |
1,140 |
44.75 |
1.71 |
$ 13.25 |
$ 27,560 |
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
5,020 |
43.93 |
1.68 |
$ 14.01 |
$ 29,140 |
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL |
2,290 |
43.92 |
1.68 |
$ 12.30 |
$ 25,590 |
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
3,280 |
43.76 |
1.67 |
$ 13.61 |
$ 28,310 |
Dothan, AL |
2,470 |
43.71 |
1.67 |
$ 11.98 |
$ 24,920 |
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