Cashiers
Median $32,880
Occupation · SOC 41-2031
Retail Salespersons: pay and where the jobs are
What retail salespersons earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$35,410 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $37,310
- Median hourly wage
- $17.03
- Mean hourly wage
- $17.94
- Employment
- 3,897,860
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 41-2031.
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See where your pay falls among retail salespersons nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do retail salespersons make?
The median annual wage for retail salespersons was $35,410 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,210 and the highest-paid 10% more than $47,890. As an hourly rate, the median is $17.03. About 3,897,860 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($39,560), District of Columbia ($38,500) and California ($38,440). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for retail salespersons looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,210 | $13.08 | $2,268 | $2,001 |
| 25th percentile | $29,900 | $14.38 | $2,492 | $2,184 |
| Median | $35,410 | $17.03 | $2,951 | $2,553 |
| 75th percentile | $38,670 | $18.59 | $3,223 | $2,771 |
| 90th percentile | $47,890 | $23.02 | $3,991 | $3,388 |
Retail Salespersons: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$35,003 take-home in national prices
2
$33,635 take-home in national prices
3
$32,094 take-home in national prices
Where a median retail salesperson paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 84,850 | $39,560 | $35,860 | $54,660 | $33,418 | $31,228 |
| District of Columbia | 4,660 | $38,500 | $36,400 | $49,530 | $31,971 | $29,090 |
| California | 376,460 | $38,440 | $35,240 | $54,310 | $32,047 | $28,944 |
| Colorado | 76,660 | $37,950 | $32,130 | $49,660 | $31,544 | $30,610 |
| Hawaii | 19,180 | $37,790 | $30,660 | $49,230 | $31,180 | $28,358 |
| New York | 238,540 | $37,720 | $33,650 | $58,630 | $30,854 | $28,589 |
| Vermont | 8,250 | $37,400 | $31,060 | $55,700 | $31,412 | $32,067 |
| Alaska | 7,890 | $37,290 | $30,700 | $51,200 | $31,956 | $31,220 |
| Oregon | 48,090 | $36,770 | $31,720 | $49,090 | $29,319 | $28,365 |
| Maine | 18,450 | $36,640 | $31,300 | $49,500 | $30,530 | $31,458 |
| Massachusetts | 86,860 | $36,610 | $33,310 | $47,980 | $29,817 | $28,194 |
| New Jersey | 72,530 | $36,520 | $32,220 | $60,210 | $30,655 | $28,174 |
| Connecticut | 42,410 | $36,490 | $34,150 | $49,850 | $30,285 | $29,230 |
| Minnesota | 74,840 | $36,370 | $28,710 | $48,080 | $30,116 | $30,537 |
| Montana | 13,490 | $36,270 | $28,620 | $48,680 | $30,375 | $32,094 |
| New Hampshire | 23,880 | $36,200 | $29,590 | $49,710 | $31,267 | $30,017 |
| North Dakota | 11,320 | $36,040 | $28,140 | $49,820 | $31,138 | $35,003 |
| Arizona | 93,920 | $35,720 | $30,820 | $47,220 | $30,382 | $30,177 |
| Maryland | 79,320 | $35,510 | $31,200 | $46,130 | $29,392 | $28,003 |
| Illinois | 126,610 | $35,370 | $31,200 | $48,010 | $28,994 | $29,006 |
| Delaware | 13,400 | $35,360 | $31,200 | $47,420 | $29,165 | $29,221 |
| Idaho | 20,180 | $35,080 | $26,330 | $49,980 | $29,616 | $31,013 |
| Rhode Island | 12,830 | $34,860 | $31,200 | $47,060 | $29,116 | $28,467 |
| Michigan | 111,010 | $34,640 | $27,770 | $48,320 | $28,792 | $29,924 |
| Wisconsin | 67,640 | $34,480 | $27,300 | $47,870 | $29,073 | $30,897 |
| South Dakota | 14,180 | $34,370 | $28,190 | $61,720 | $29,796 | $33,635 |
| Wyoming | 8,770 | $34,310 | $24,750 | $54,310 | $29,748 | $32,094 |
| Virginia | 100,290 | $34,240 | $27,540 | $46,590 | $28,537 | $28,226 |
| Nevada | 43,920 | $34,190 | $26,930 | $47,270 | $29,652 | $29,658 |
| Florida | 333,460 | $34,010 | $28,330 | $46,130 | $29,507 | $28,533 |
| Utah | 47,570 | $33,900 | $26,410 | $49,090 | $28,672 | $29,002 |
| Missouri | 67,140 | $33,460 | $28,600 | $46,610 | $28,430 | $31,305 |
| New Mexico | 23,800 | $33,300 | $27,870 | $45,370 | $28,472 | $30,877 |
| Kansas | 33,360 | $32,180 | $23,100 | $46,730 | $27,027 | $30,007 |
| Tennessee | 87,380 | $31,950 | $23,720 | $47,720 | $27,852 | $30,317 |
| Nebraska | 22,780 | $31,870 | $28,080 | $46,380 | $27,199 | $30,186 |
| Indiana | 83,670 | $31,530 | $23,420 | $46,900 | $26,614 | $28,516 |
| North Carolina | 127,540 | $31,370 | $23,040 | $46,070 | $26,643 | $28,246 |
| Iowa | 41,000 | $31,360 | $25,220 | $45,900 | $26,838 | $30,580 |
| Pennsylvania | 141,790 | $31,200 | $23,770 | $46,130 | $26,270 | $26,923 |
| Georgia | 143,120 | $30,840 | $22,590 | $46,430 | $26,170 | $27,177 |
| Ohio | 137,370 | $30,800 | $24,210 | $46,020 | $26,531 | $28,598 |
| Texas | 341,640 | $30,800 | $23,330 | $45,080 | $26,928 | $27,744 |
| South Carolina | 67,310 | $30,690 | $22,330 | $45,510 | $26,527 | $28,296 |
| Alabama | 60,880 | $30,040 | $22,670 | $45,310 | $25,140 | $28,304 |
| Oklahoma | 43,830 | $29,660 | $22,370 | $45,080 | $25,223 | $28,713 |
| Kentucky | 51,250 | $29,650 | $22,400 | $43,850 | $25,084 | $27,822 |
| Louisiana | 49,570 | $29,490 | $21,940 | $45,280 | $25,377 | $28,770 |
| Arkansas | 35,510 | $29,270 | $23,830 | $39,790 | $25,103 | $28,875 |
| West Virginia | 19,050 | $28,950 | $22,260 | $39,520 | $24,747 | $27,651 |
| Virgin Islands | 1,300 | $28,790 | $22,950 | $46,990 | — | — |
| Mississippi | 38,400 | $28,640 | $22,120 | $41,990 | $24,779 | $28,497 |
| Guam | 1,540 | $24,000 | $21,400 | $37,800 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 41,230 | $22,560 | $21,840 | $34,450 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 41-2031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.