Pay by state · 54 areas
Retail Salesperson Salary by State (2026)
Retail Salespersons earn the most in Washington at $39,560 a year and the least in Mississippi at $28,640 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,410. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $39,560Washington
- National median
- $35,410BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $28,640Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for retail salespersons
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$39,560
- 2District of Columbia$38,500
- 3California$38,440
- 4Colorado$37,950
- 5Hawaii$37,790
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$28,640
- 2West Virginia$28,950
- 3Arkansas$29,270
- 4Louisiana$29,490
- 5Kentucky$29,650
All states
Retail Salesperson salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of retail salespersons OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $39,560 | $37,130 | $45,170 | 84,850 | $36,967 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $38,500 | $37,820 | $44,230 | 4,660 | $35,032 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $38,440 | $36,350 | $45,460 | 376,460 | $34,718 |
| 4 | COColorado | $37,950 | $35,740 | $44,460 | 76,660 | $36,826 |
| 5 | HIHawaii | $37,790 | $34,990 | $44,840 | 19,180 | $34,370 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $37,720 | $35,670 | $44,130 | 238,540 | $34,951 |
| 7 | VTVermont | $37,400 | $34,530 | $45,710 | 8,250 | $38,180 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $37,290 | $32,160 | $42,350 | 7,890 | $36,431 |
| 9 | OROregon | $36,770 | $34,760 | $43,860 | 48,090 | $35,574 |
| 10 | MEMaine | $36,640 | $34,720 | $43,270 | 18,450 | $37,754 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $36,610 | $34,960 | $40,510 | 86,860 | $34,617 |
| 12 | NJNew Jersey | $36,520 | $34,230 | $44,400 | 72,530 | $33,565 |
| 13 | CTConnecticut | $36,490 | $35,030 | $39,550 | 42,410 | $35,219 |
| 14 | MNMinnesota | $36,370 | $32,970 | $38,640 | 74,840 | $36,879 |
| 15 | MTMontana | $36,270 | $30,510 | $43,240 | 13,490 | $38,322 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $36,200 | $31,380 | $40,480 | 23,880 | $34,753 |
| 17 | NDNorth Dakota | $36,040 | $30,340 | $39,160 | 11,320 | $40,513 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $35,720 | $32,480 | $38,050 | 93,920 | $35,480 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $35,510 | $33,380 | $37,750 | 79,320 | $33,832 |
| 20 | ILIllinois | $35,370 | $32,250 | $37,750 | 126,610 | $35,385 |
| 21 | DEDelaware | $35,360 | $31,200 | $38,230 | 13,400 | $35,428 |
| 22 | IDIdaho | $35,080 | $29,120 | $38,930 | 20,180 | $36,735 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $34,860 | $31,520 | $37,730 | 12,830 | $34,083 |
| 24 | MIMichigan | $34,640 | $29,300 | $37,750 | 111,010 | $36,002 |
| 25 | WIWisconsin | $34,480 | $29,100 | $37,810 | 67,640 | $36,644 |
| 26 | SDSouth Dakota | $34,370 | $29,510 | $41,770 | 14,180 | $38,798 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $34,310 | $29,100 | $39,240 | 8,770 | $37,015 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $34,240 | $29,120 | $37,300 | 100,290 | $33,866 |
| 29 | NVNevada | $34,190 | $28,330 | $37,550 | 43,920 | $34,197 |
| 30 | FLFlorida | $34,010 | $29,460 | $37,070 | 333,460 | $32,887 |
| 31 | UTUtah | $33,900 | $29,050 | $38,040 | 47,570 | $34,290 |
| 32 | MOMissouri | $33,460 | $29,850 | $36,940 | 67,140 | $36,843 |
| 33 | NMNew Mexico | $33,300 | $29,320 | $36,680 | 23,800 | $36,112 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $32,180 | $28,080 | $36,740 | 33,360 | $35,729 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $31,950 | $28,070 | $36,660 | 87,380 | $34,777 |
| 36 | NENebraska | $31,870 | $28,950 | $36,860 | 22,780 | $35,371 |
| 37 | INIndiana | $31,530 | $27,720 | $37,260 | 83,670 | $33,784 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $31,370 | $27,720 | $36,930 | 127,540 | $33,257 |
| 39 | IAIowa | $31,360 | $28,580 | $36,240 | 41,000 | $35,733 |
| 40 | PAPennsylvania | $31,200 | $27,820 | $36,700 | 141,790 | $31,976 |
| 41 | GAGeorgia | $30,840 | $27,610 | $36,420 | 143,120 | $32,027 |
| 42 | OHOhio | $30,800 | $28,000 | $36,630 | 137,370 | $33,199 |
| 43 | TXTexas | $30,800 | $27,750 | $36,540 | 341,640 | $31,734 |
| 44 | SCSouth Carolina | $30,690 | $27,280 | $36,340 | 67,310 | $32,736 |
| 45 | ALAlabama | $30,040 | $27,150 | $36,140 | 60,880 | $33,820 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $29,660 | $26,220 | $36,350 | 43,830 | $33,765 |
| 47 | KYKentucky | $29,650 | $26,190 | $35,760 | 51,250 | $32,886 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $29,490 | $26,020 | $36,110 | 49,570 | $33,433 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $29,270 | $26,980 | $35,350 | 35,510 | $33,668 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $28,950 | $25,200 | $35,520 | 19,050 | $32,347 |
| 51 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $28,790 | $25,460 | $36,590 | 1,300 | N/A |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $28,640 | $23,480 | $35,300 | 38,400 | $32,937 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $24,000 | $21,890 | $29,530 | 1,540 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,560 | $21,840 | $27,080 | 41,230 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For retail salespersons, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $39,560, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $40,513.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Retail Salesperson pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays retail salespersons the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for retail salespersons at $39,560 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($38,500) and California ($38,440).
Which state pays retail salespersons the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for retail salespersons at $28,640 a year, $10,920 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $28,790, Guam reports $24,000 and Puerto Rico reports $22,560.
Is the highest-paying state the best for retail salespersons after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($39,560) but ranks 7th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($36,967). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $40,513, from a raw median of $36,040. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.