Pay by state · 54 states
Retail Salesperson Salary by State (2026)
Retail Salespersons earn the most in Washington at $39,560 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $22,560 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,410. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $39,560Washington
- National median
- $35,410BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,560Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Retail Salespersons at $22,560 a year, $17,000 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Retail Salespersons earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts North Dakota first at $40,513 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $36,040. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.