Retail salespersons

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Total Workforce

3.21M

Average Age

38.4

Average Salary

$31,206

Average Male Salary

$39,714

Average Female Salary

$22,795

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Retail salespersons are most often employed by the Clothing stores industry. The average yearly wage for Retail salespersons was $31,206 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Retail salespersons by wage are Counter & rental clerks, Musicians and singers, and Medical assistants.

Retail salespersons are part of the Sales & related occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers, Firstline supervisors of nonretail sales workers, Cashiers, Counter & rental clerks, Parts salespersons, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Retail salespersons are Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV, Eagle, Summit, Grand & Jackson Counties PUMA, CO, and Norman, Oklahoma City (South) & Moore Cities PUMA, OK. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Retail salespersons are Edinburg City PUMA, TX, Eagle, Summit, Grand & Jackson Counties PUMA, CO, and El Centro City PUMA, CA.

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

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Retail salespersons and on wages and locations for those in the field. Clothing stores 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 Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures. Retail salespersons are paid most in Lebanon & Springboro (East) Cities PUMA, OH but are relatively concentrated in Edinburg City PUMA, TX.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$31,206

AVERAGE SALARY

± $579

In 2018, Retail salespersons earned an average of $31,206, $22,682 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Counter & rental clerks make somewhat more than Retail salespersons while Medical assistants make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Retail salespersons as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.517

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Retail salespersons had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.517, which is higher than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Retail salespersons (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Retail salespersons.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Retail salespersons

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Retail salespersons.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Retail salespersons, by number of employees, are Clothing stores, Building material & supplies dealers, and Car Dealers.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Retail salespersons, by average wage, are Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures, Furniture & related product manufacturing, Specialized design services, Computer Systems Design, Computer Systems Design, and Banking & related activities.

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Industries by Share

3.21M

2018 Workforce

± 43,489

-0.482%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.92%

The number of people employed as Retail salespersons has been declining at a rate of -0.482%, from 3,221,990 people in 2017 to 3,206,467 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Retail salespersons employed by various industries. Clothing stores employs the largest share of Retail salespersons at 11.8%, followed by Building material & supplies dealers with 8.94% and Car Dealers with 8.84%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Retail salespersons in the US. The average age of male Retail salespersons in the workforce is 38.7 and of female Retail salespersons is 38, and the most common race/ethnicity for Retail salespersons is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

1.59M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 30,832

1.61M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 31,007

50.3% of Retail salespersons are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Retail salespersons.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Retail salespersons

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

61.7% of Retail salespersons are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 12.2% of Retail salespersons, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Retail salespersons.

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Age by Gender

38.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.317

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.334

The median age of Retail salespersons is 38.4, and Male employees are generally 0.659 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

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 a relatively high number of Retail salespersons hold a major in Communication Technologies.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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Skills

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, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Retail salespersons need more than the average amount of Persuasion, Negotiation, and Service Orientation.