Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2004

41-2031 Retail Salespersons

Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel in a retail establishment. Exclude "Cashiers" (41-2011).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
4,260,150 0.4 % $11.00 $22,880 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $6.38 $7.46 $9.03 $12.23 $17.76
Annual Wage (2) $13,270 $15,520 $18,790 $25,430 $36,940

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Clothing stores 664,810 $9.24 $19,220
Department stores 634,410 $9.24 $19,210
Building material and supplies dealers 415,740 $12.16 $25,290
Other general merchandise stores 316,270 $8.90 $18,500
Automobile dealers 277,870 $20.76 $43,170

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Other electrical equipment and component mfg. (7) $26.77 $55,680
Computer systems design and related services 500 $21.99 $45,740
Magnetic media manufacturing and reproducing (7) $21.93 $45,610
Automobile dealers 277,870 $20.76 $43,170
Metal and mineral merchant wholesalers 300 $19.65 $40,880

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Delaware 18,060 $11.34 $23,600 4.363%
Hawaii 24,010 $10.86 $22,590 4.184%
New Hampshire 25,570 $11.45 $23,810 4.135%
Montana 16,880 $9.84 $20,480 4.130%
New Mexico 28,330 $10.20 $21,220 3.752%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Connecticut 51,670 $12.92 $26,880 3.149%
Washington 81,280 $12.51 $26,020 3.109%
Alaska 9,630 $12.36 $25,710 3.255%
California 465,370 $12.15 $25,280 3.188%
New Jersey 120,140 $11.96 $24,880 3.080%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA MSA 4,820 $12.42 $25,830 7.176%
Myrtle Beach, SC MSA 6,510 $10.30 $21,420 6.004%
Fort Walton Beach, FL MSA 4,610 $10.31 $21,450 5.499%
Pittsfield, MA MSA 2,270 $10.66 $22,160 5.492%
Dover, DE MSA 3,090 $10.54 $21,920 5.380%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 7,300 $14.82 $30,830 3.665%
Danbury, CT PMSA 4,740 $13.59 $28,270 5.194%
San Jose, CA PMSA 23,770 $13.43 $27,930 2.788%
Anchorage, AK MSA 5,050 $13.35 $27,770 3.584%
Tacoma, WA PMSA 8,650 $13.27 $27,590 3.530%

About November 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimate not released.

All Sales and Related Occupations

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005