Occupation salary profile

Retail Salespersons

SOC 41-2031 BLS OEWS May 2025

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers. Excludes “Cashiers” (41-2011).

National median · BLS
$35,410
▲ +2.4% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$37,310
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
3,897,860
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Retail Salespersons

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$27,210
25th$29,900
Median (50th)$35,410
75th$38,670
90th — top pay$47,890

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Retail Salespersons

BLS projects employment of retail salespersons to decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 520,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
3,998,100 → 3,984,100
-14,000 jobs
Projected change
-0.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
520,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Retail Salespersons

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Persuasion3.9
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Service Orientation3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Negotiation3.5
  • Social Perceptiveness3.5
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Active Learning3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Sales and Marketing4.5
  • Customer and Personal Service4.3
  • English Language3.7
  • Administration and Management3.0
  • Mathematics3.0
  • Administrative3.0
  • Psychology2.9
  • Computers and Electronics2.8
Software and technology used
Adobe AcrobatAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopApple macOSApple SafariAutodesk AutoCADEclipse IDEFacebookGoogle DocsIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft EdgeMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPoint

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What retail salespersons do

  • 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.
Also called
Sales AssociateSales ClerkSales ConsultantSales PersonCar SalesmanCustomer AssistantRetail SalespersonSales RepresentativeSalesman
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Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.