Retail salespersons

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

2.91M

Average Age

38.8

Estimated Job Growth

−0.498%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$41,720

Average Male Salary

$53,546

Average Female Salary

$29,268

About

Retail salespersons are most often employed by the Clothing & clothing accessories retailers industry. The average yearly wage for Retail salespersons was $41,720 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Retail salespersons are Maui, Kalawao & Kauai Counties PUMA, HI, Broward County (West Central)--Plantation & Sunrise Cities PUMA, FL, and Camden County (South & West)--Bellmawr & Pine Hill Boroughs PUMA, NJ. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Retail salespersons are South Texas Development Council (North)--Webb County, Laredo City (Central) PUMA, TX, Acadiana Regional Development District 3--Lafayette Parish (North) PUMA, LA, and Ponce PUMA, PR.

About the photo: Photo courtesy of <a href='https://bellaellaboutique.com' target='_blank'>Bell Ella Boutique</a>, a series of boutique clothing stores.

Photo by Bella Ella Boutique

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Retail salespersons workforce. Retail salespersons workforce in 2024 was 2,907,001 people, of which 48.7% were women and 51.3% were men.

Retail salespersons are paid most in Durham County (North)--Durham City (North) PUMA, NC but are relatively concentrated in South Texas Development Council (North)--Webb County, Laredo City (Central) PUMA, TX.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

1,490,925

Male Workforce

± 29.8k

1,416,076

Female Workforce

± 29.1k

The Retail salespersons workforce in 2024 was 2,907,001 people (48.7% women and 51.3% men). This implies an average annual growth of −12.8% between 2014 (3,334,335) and 2024 (2,907,001).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Retail salespersons.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were New Hampshire ($48,471), Arkansas ($47,629), and Massachusetts ($47,280).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$41,720

AVERAGE WAGE

#385 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Retail salespersons earned an average of $41,720, $28,158 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Retail salespersons in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Retail salespersons had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.53, which is higher than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Retail salespersons (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Retail salespersons compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Retail salespersons and on wages for those in the field. Clothing & clothing accessories retailers is the industry that employs the most Retail salespersons, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Retail salespersons, by average wage, is Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities ($247,837).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

2.91M

2024 Workforce

± 41,465

−1.18%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.04%

This graphic shows the share of Retail salespersons employed by various industries. Clothing & clothing accessories retailers employs the largest share of Retail salespersons at 26.8%, followed by Warehouse clubs, supercenters, & other general merchandise retailers with 26% and Building material & supplies dealers with 24.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Retail salespersons in the US. The workforce of Retail salespersons in 2024 was 2,907,001 people, with 48.7% woman, and 51.3% men. The average age of male Retail salespersons in the workforce is 39.6 and of female Retail salespersons is 37.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Retail salespersons is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Retail salespersons in 2024 was 2,907,001 people, with 48.7% woman, and 51.3% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (556,271 people), 25 to 29 years (333,063 people), and 16 to 19 years (301,895 people). Among them they concentrated 41% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 20% of Retail salespersons workers were Hispanic and 80% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.8%), Puerto Rican (13.6)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (4.86)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 63.7% of the Retail salespersons workforce were White, of which 46.6% were women and 53.4% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (12.7%) and Black (11%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Retail salespersons from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Retail salespersons is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Visual & Performing Arts.

Among the necessary skills for Retail salespersons, Persuasion stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Retail salespersons need more than the average amount of Persuasion.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Retail salespersons in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (193,113 people), Social Sciences (47,708 people), and Visual & Performing Arts (45,100 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Retail salespersons workers were High School or Equivalent (892,709 people), Some college (841,179 people), and Bachelors Degree (526,291 people).

The graphic shows the Retail salespersons workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Retail salespersons from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retail salespersons need many skills, but most especially Persuasion, Service Orientation, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Retail Salespersons from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Retail Salespersons are expected to see a growth of −0.498% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−0.498%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Retail salespersons. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.