July 20, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Wages of salespersons in 1998

Five industries employed over three-quarters of all retail salespersons in 1998. Of these five industries, automobile dealers and service stations paid salespersons the most while apparel and accessory stores paid the least.

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Salespersons in the automobile dealers and service stations industry received $15.75 per hour in 1998. In comparison, salespersons in the apparel and accessory stores industry averaged $7.43 per hour.

The other three most common industries for retail salespersons in 1998 were furniture and home furnishing stores, general merchandise stores, and miscellaneous retail establishments. The mean hourly wage in furniture and home furnishing stores was $10.25 in 1998. In general merchandise stores, the average wage was $7.88 and miscellaneous retail establishments were close behind at $7.76.

These data are a product of the Occupational Employment Statistics program. General merchandise stores include department stores, variety stores, and warehouse clubs. Miscellaneous retail establishments include establishments such as drug stores, book stores, and jewelry stores. Find out more in Occupational Employment and Wages, 1998, BLS Bulletin 2528.