Online Merchants earn a median of $83,050 per year ($39.93/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.9% through 2035, with about 98,700 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-1199
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Online Merchant in four numbers
- Median pay
- $83,050a year, or $39.93/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $48KTop 10% $150K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.9%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 98,7001,157,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.2M
- Projected 20351.2M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.2M Projected 2035 1.2M - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school32.7%
- Certificate12.1%
- Some college8.7%
- Associate's5.2%
- Bachelor's41.3%
Highest education held by online merchants Segment Value High school 32.7% Certificate 12.1% Some college 8.7% Associate's 5.2% Bachelor's 41.3%
Also advertised as: Online Services Manager.
Pay
How much do Online Merchants make?
Every online merchant in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$83,050
Middle half earn $62,640 to $114,010
- 10th
- $47,880
- 25th
- $62,640
- 75th
- $114,010
- 90th
- $150,010
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $47,880 |
| 25th | $62,640 |
| Median | $83,050 |
| 75th | $114,010 |
| 90th | $150,010 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $83,050
- Median hourly wage
- $39.93/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $93,970
- People employed
- 1,087,090
Versus all US occupations
At $83,050, Online Merchants earn 63% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $32,070 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 3% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $150,010 or more while the bottom 10% earn $47,880, a gap of 3.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 63% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($108,160), but once local prices are taken into account Alabama leads at $112,854 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Online Merchants the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $108,160 | $98,416 | 37,790 |
| 2Maryland | $101,500 | $96,704 | 39,820 |
| 3Washington | $100,360 | $93,783 | 51,650 |
| 4Alabama | $100,240 | $112,854 | 6,990 |
| 5Delaware | $95,040 | $95,223 | 1,600 |
| 6Alaska | $94,740 | $92,557 | 2,020 |
| 7Oklahoma | $93,640 | $106,599 | 5,700 |
| 8Massachusetts | $93,270 | $88,193 | 17,910 |
| 9Hawaii | $92,620 | $84,238 | 4,030 |
| 10Colorado | $92,520 | $89,780 | 45,670 |
Job outlook
Is Online Merchant a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Online Merchants | +3.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Online Merchants to change 3.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 44,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 98,700 openings are projected each year, 8.5% of the 1,157,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Online Merchant
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as online merchants.
- Bachelor's Degree41.3%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)32.7%
- Post-Secondary Certificate12.1%
- Some College Courses8.7%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 41.3% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 32.7% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 12.1% |
| Some College Courses | 8.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Online Merchant do?
Conduct retail activities of businesses operating exclusively online. May perform duties such as preparing business strategies, buying merchandise, managing inventory, implementing marketing activities, fulfilling and shipping online orders, and balancing financial records.
Day-to-day tasks
- Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
- Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
- Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
- Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
- Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
- Determine and set product prices.
- Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
- Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Active Listening3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Writing3.4
- Monitoring3.1
- Mathematics3.0
- Active Learning2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 |
| Speaking | 3.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Persuasion3.4
- Service Orientation3.4
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Negotiation3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Time Management2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Persuasion | 3.4 |
| Service Orientation | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Online Merchant?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Online Merchant |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional6.0
- Enterprising5.8
- Realistic2.4
- Social2.3
- Artistic1.9
- Investigative1.6
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Online Merchant
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
Wholesale and Retail Buyer, Except Farm Products
$77,710median a year
Most earn $48K to $129K
+6.0%Bachelor's - Business and Financial Operations
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist
$78,760median a year
Most earn $43K to $155K
+7.0%Bachelor's - Sales and Related
- Management
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with online merchants highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Accountant$83,680
- Online Merchant$83,050
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Online Merchant | $83,050 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Specialty careers within online merchant
Distinct careers BLS counts inside this occupation, each with its own profile.
Lists Online Merchant appears on
Questions
Online Merchant: frequently asked questions
How much do Online Merchants make?
Online Merchants earn a median of $83,050 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 63% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $39.93/hr. The middle half earn between $62,640 and $114,010. The top 10% earn $150,010 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Online Merchant?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Online Merchants, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 41.3% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Online Merchant a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.9% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 98,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Online Merchant do?
Conduct retail activities of businesses operating exclusively online. A core O*NET task: fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Data base management system software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Online Merchants the most?
The highest state medians for Online Merchants are District of Columbia ($108,160), Maryland ($101,500), Washington ($100,360) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alabama moves to the top at $112,854.
What personality type suits an Online Merchant?
O*NET scores Online Merchants highest on the Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.