How much should I pay a cashiers in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Cashiers is $32,885 to $36,338 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows retail trade wages growing about 3.4% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a cashiers?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $28,725 is below market, $32,885 to $36,338 is competitive, and above $36,338 is above market for Cashiers.

How is cashiers pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 5.5% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI). Retail Trade is running a 4.8% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has tightened for 2 straight months (4.2% up to 4.8%).

Cashiers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 41-2011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$32,885

$15.81/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Cashiers salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$25K

P25$29K

P50$33K

P75$36K

P90$40K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

⚡

Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- retail openings are at 4.8% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in retail trade are rising about 3.4% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.0-3.5% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $32,885 to $36,338 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Cashiers pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 5.5% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

Retail Trade is running a 4.8% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has tightened for 2 straight months (4.2% up to 4.8%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 1.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings climbed to 4.8% and quits returned to 3.0%. Frontline churn pressure is building again.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.4% per year, up from 3.1%, one of the few sectors accelerating.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

Get notified when this number updates

Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

The national median salary for Cashiers is $32,885 per year ($15.81/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $28,725 and $36,338 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $40,414 per year. There are approximately 3,089,410 cashiers employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions. May use electronic scanners, cash registers, or related equipment. May process credit or debit card transactions and validate checks.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

-9.9%

Much slower than average

Annual openings

543K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

3.2M

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

No formal educational credential

Experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) NAICS 4450A1	858K	$34,210
Gasoline Stations NAICS 457100	589K	$30,530
General Merchandise Retailers NAICS 455000	496K	$31,250
Restaurants and Other Eating Places NAICS 722500	299K	$31,200
Building Material and Supplies Dealers NAICS 444100	145K	$35,210

Wage range across top 5 industries: $30,530 to $35,210 (15% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$11.79	$24,523
P25	$13.81	$28,725
P50MEDIAN	$15.81	$32,885
P75	$17.47	$36,338
P90	$19.43	$40,414

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · retail sector

Active

Openings Rate

4.8%

Quits Rate

3.0%

Retail openings rose to 774K (+49K) in June, rate up to 4.8%. Frontline turnover picked back up with the quit rate at 3.0% -- expect continued churn-driven wage pressure in hourly roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average cashiers salary?

The national median salary for Cashiers is $32,885 per year ($15.81/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $28,725 and $36,338 annually.

How much do top-earning cashiers make?

The 90th percentile salary for Cashiers is $40,414 per year ($19.43/hr). The 75th percentile is $36,338 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for cashiers?

Entry-level Cashiers (10th percentile) earn approximately $24,523 per year ($11.79/hr). The 25th percentile is $28,725 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Retail Salespersons41-2031$35K/yr Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel41-3091$70K/yr Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products41-4012$72K/yr First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers41-1011$49K/yr Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents41-3031$79K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Cashiers Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California336,110 workers Texas245,730 workers Florida201,370 workers New York158,890 workers Illinois139,630 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

About CompSignal

CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.

Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.

Open the full app →About Falcon Incentives →Privacy Policy

Explore more occupations on CompSignal →

Free BLS wage benchmarks, JOLTS talent signals, and AI analyst briefs

CompSignal by Falcon Incentives · BLS data, made usable · Verify on BLS.gov