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The national median salary for Retail Salespersons is $35,422 per year ($17.03/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $29,910 and $38,667 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $47,882 per year. There are approximately 3,897,860 retail salespersons employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.5%
Little or no change
Annual openings
556K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
3.9M
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
General Merchandise Retailers
NAICS 455000
795K
$34,480
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers
NAICS 458100
500K
$33,750
Building Material and Supplies Dealers
NAICS 444100
400K
$37,420
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers
NAICS 459100
236K
$34,920
Automobile Dealers
NAICS 441100
226K
$44,680
Wage range across top 5 industries: $33,750 to $44,680 (32% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.08
$27,206
P25
$14.38
$29,910
P50MEDIAN
$17.03
$35,422
P75
$18.59
$38,667
P90
$23.02
$47,882
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average retail salespersons salary?
The national median salary for Retail Salespersons is $35,422 per year ($17.03/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $29,910 and $38,667 annually.
How much do top-earning retail salespersons make?
The 90th percentile salary for Retail Salespersons is $47,882 per year ($23.02/hr). The 75th percentile is $38,667 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for retail salespersons?
Entry-level Retail Salespersons (10th percentile) earn approximately $27,206 per year ($13.08/hr). The 25th percentile is $29,910 per year.
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.
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.