Retail Salesperson Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Retail Salespersons earn a median of $35,410 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $17.03/hr. The middle half earn between $29,900 and $38,670. The top 10% earn $47,890 or more.

The median hourly wage for retail salespersons is $17.03 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $35,410 annual median works out to about $2,950 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of retail salespersons earn less than $27,210 a year and the bottom quarter less than $29,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

The highest state medians for Retail Salespersons are Washington ($39,560), District of Columbia ($38,500), California ($38,440) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $40,513.

BLS does not split retail salespersons' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $47,890, against a median of $35,410 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Washington ($39,560), District of Columbia ($38,500), California ($38,440). BLS also counts 3 specialty careers inside this occupation (budtender, cheesemonger, personal stylist), which share its federal pay figures.

No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Retail Salespersons, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 63.5% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for retail salespersons is no formal educational credential. Once hired, BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing some preparation.

No. BLS projects employment to fall 0.3% over 2025–2035, a loss of 14,000 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 520,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Retail sales workers sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel, to customers. A core O*NET task: greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Computer aided design CAD software, Customer relationship management CRM software.

Most work fewer than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 38% of retail salespersons usually work more than 40 hours a week, 9% work exactly 40 and 53% work fewer. 86% say their schedule is regular and 15% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Retail Salespersons highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 47.0% of retail salespersons, close to their 47.1% share of all employed people. 22.4% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 35.8 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.