Retail Salespersons: Career Overview
Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
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What Do Retail Salespersons Take On?
The core tasks performed by retail salespersons cover:
- Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs.
- Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires.
- Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment.
- Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental.
- Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise.
- Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.
- Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise.
- Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers.
What Retail Salespersons Need to Know
Top retail salespersons combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Retail Salespersons Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Art Dealer
- Art Objects Salesperson
- Auto Dealer
- Automobile Accessories Salesperson
- Automobile Salesman
- Automobiles Salesperson
- Automotive Salesperson
- Bakery Clerk
How Many Retail Salespersons Are There?
There are about 95,327 retail salespersons working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.8% over the projection horizon.
Retail Salespersons Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $28,452 |
| Hourly median | $13.68 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $22,398 |
| 75th percentile | $34,507 |
| 90th percentile | $40,561 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $38,350 |
| District of Columbia | $37,800 |
| California | $37,250 |
| New York | $37,020 |
| Colorado | $36,960 |
| Alaska | $36,940 |
| Vermont | $36,810 |
| Maine | $36,460 |
| Massachusetts | $36,320 |
| Oregon | $36,140 |
| Hawaii | $36,050 |
| North Dakota | $35,670 |
| New Jersey | $35,630 |
| New Hampshire | $35,440 |
| Connecticut | $35,350 |
| Arizona | $35,320 |
| Minnesota | $35,310 |
| Montana | $35,000 |
| Rhode Island | $34,860 |
| Illinois | $34,490 |
| Maryland | $34,310 |
| Utah | $34,300 |
| South Dakota | $34,260 |
| Delaware | $34,200 |
| Wisconsin | $33,640 |
| Nevada | $33,430 |
| Idaho | $33,400 |
| Michigan | $33,340 |
| Virginia | $32,760 |
| Florida | $31,950 |
| Kansas | $31,670 |
| Wyoming | $31,450 |
| New Mexico | $31,360 |
| Missouri | $31,250 |
| Tennessee | $30,770 |
| Ohio | $30,440 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,410 |
| Nebraska | $30,350 |
| Indiana | $30,300 |
| Texas | $30,130 |
| North Carolina | $30,090 |
| Iowa | $30,030 |
| Georgia | $29,770 |
| Oklahoma | $29,580 |
| Kentucky | $29,450 |
| South Carolina | $29,450 |
| Alabama | $29,430 |
| Arkansas | $29,420 |
| Louisiana | $28,820 |
| Virgin Islands | $28,790 |
| West Virginia | $27,910 |
| Mississippi | $27,810 |
| Guam | $23,640 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,360 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for retail salespersons shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $36,992 | 14.4% | 0.88 |
| New England | $35,947 | 4.8% | 1.02 |
| Rocky Mountains | $35,335 | 4.1% | 1.03 |
| Middle Atlantic | $34,677 | 14.4% | 0.97 |
| Plains States | $32,523 | 6.4% | 0.94 |
| Great Lakes | $32,484 | 13.6% | 0.96 |
| Southwest | $31,093 | 12.6% | 1.01 |
| Southeast | $30,606 | 28.5% | 1.18 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | CA | $44,680 | 2,140 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $43,040 | 17,420 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $42,490 | 37,380 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $39,180 | 48,310 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $38,760 | 5,120 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | HI | $37,740 | 2,350 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $37,720 | 5,000 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $37,700 | 1,700 |
Industry Breakdown
Most retail salespersons are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 3,445,820 | $34,550 |
| Wholesale Trade | 63,020 | $37,440 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 52,100 | $32,590 |
| Manufacturing | 44,090 | $34,560 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 34,190 | $35,980 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 23,230 | $32,310 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 21,110 | $31,740 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 21,030 | $35,100 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Retail Salespersons Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of retail salespersons reflects the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Education and Training
Entry-level retail salespersons positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (Primary-Short)
- Cashiers (Primary-Long)
- Counter and Rental Clerks (Primary-Short)
- Parts Salespersons (Primary-Long)
- Advertising Sales Agents (Supplemental)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 41-2031.00 (Retail Salespersons).
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