SOC 41-2031.00Bright outlook

    Retail Salespersons

    Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.

    Median pay
    $35,410
    Growth
    -0.3%
    Little or no change
    Openings a year
    520,600
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $27,210
    Median
    $35,410
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $47,890
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    3,897,860 people work in this occupation.

    What retail salespersons do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    37 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    16 / 100
    Social (S)
    33 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    86 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    70 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    93
    Selling or Influencing Others
    85
    Getting Information
    77
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    75
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    72
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    66
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    65
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    64
    Working with Computers
    62
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    61
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Persuasion
    • Active Listening
    • Service Orientation
    • Speaking
    • Negotiation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Critical Thinking
    • Active Learning
    • Coordination
    • Monitoring

    Knowledge

    • Sales and Marketing
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Mathematics
    • Administrative
    • Psychology
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Education and Training
    • Communications and Media

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Information Ordering
    • Near Vision
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Category Flexibility

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Perseverance
    • Empathy
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Initiative
    • Self-Control

    Also called

    Art Dealer · Art Objects Salesperson · Auto Dealer · Automobile Accessories Salesperson · Automobile Salesman · Automobiles Salesperson · Automotive Salesperson · Bakery Clerk · Bargain Table Clerk · Beauty Advisor

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What retail salespersons may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    29 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.