Pay for cashiers is unusually consistent across the country: $21,840 at the bottom of the range, $44,210 at the top, a spread of only 2.02×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
From $24,530 at the 10th percentile to $40,410 at the 90th is only 1.65×, which is narrow. Pay for cashiers is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (WA) leads and Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $44,210 | $21.26 | 0.74 | 30,470 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $42,960 | $20.65 | 0.73 | 16,530 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $41,270 | $19.84 | 0.81 | 38,250 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $39,010 | $18.75 | 1.03 | 1,500 |
| Boulder CO | $38,520 | $18.52 | 0.81 | 3,100 |
| Napa CA | $38,500 | $18.51 | 1 | 1,540 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $38,440 | $18.48 | 1.23 | 5,030 |
| Bozeman MT | $38,130 | $18.33 | 1.02 | 1,460 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $38,100 | $18.32 | 0.96 | 1,790 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $37,960 | $18.25 | 1.21 | 1,270 |
| Vallejo CA | $37,810 | $18.18 | 1.27 | 3,630 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $37,620 | $18.09 | 0.75 | 23,860 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $37,520 | $18.04 | 1.19 | 3,120 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $37,390 | $17.97 | 1.29 | 2,530 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $37,340 | $17.95 | 0.92 | 670 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $37,340 | $17.95 | 0.95 | 2,470 |
| Bellingham WA | $37,250 | $17.91 | 1.21 | 2,190 |
| Salinas CA | $37,080 | $17.83 | 1.08 | 4,020 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $37,020 | $17.80 | 1 | 30,420 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $37,000 | $17.79 | 1.15 | 2,410 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $36,980 | $17.78 | 0.88 | 109,940 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $36,880 | $17.73 | 1.09 | 2,590 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $36,880 | $17.73 | 1.54 | 3,990 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $36,790 | $17.69 | 0.93 | 19,910 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $36,720 | $17.65 | 1.62 | 2,040 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 2.02 | 1,180 |
| Ponce PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.84 | 2,320 |
| Aguadilla PR | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.89 | 1,830 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,870 | $10.52 | 1.92 | 1,990 |
| Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $21,980 | $10.57 | 1.63 | 4,010 |
| Guayama PR | $22,070 | $10.61 | 2.22 | 550 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $22,300 | $10.72 | 1.31 | 18,010 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,440 | $10.79 | 1.98 | 1,360 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $22,520 | $10.83 | 1.59 | 2,920 |
| Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $22,860 | $10.99 | 1.7 | 2,570 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | $32,510 | $15.63 | 2.36 | 2,650 |
| Guayama PR | $22,070 | $10.61 | 2.22 | 550 |
| Southern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $26,490 | $12.74 | 2.09 | 2,170 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $29,290 | $14.08 | 2.09 | 2,610 |
| Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $27,640 | $13.29 | 2.02 | 2,940 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 2.02 | 1,180 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $29,620 | $14.24 | 1.99 | 1,740 |
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $27,510 | $13.23 | 1.98 | 3,610 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,440 | $10.79 | 1.98 | 1,360 |
| Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $26,790 | $12.88 | 1.96 | 2,420 |
| Mayaguez PR | $21,870 | $10.52 | 1.92 | 1,990 |
| Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $27,570 | $13.25 | 1.89 | 2,890 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $35,950 | $17.28 | 0.92 | 173,830 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $36,980 | $17.78 | 0.88 | 109,940 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $35,010 | $16.83 | 1.11 | 99,240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $29,910 | $14.38 | 0.81 | 65,070 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $30,250 | $14.54 | 1.01 | 56,340 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $29,350 | $14.11 | 0.84 | 54,950 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $33,050 | $15.89 | 0.94 | 54,100 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $30,010 | $14.43 | 0.89 | 51,180 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $35,470 | $17.05 | 0.81 | 50,600 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $34,920 | $16.79 | 1.03 | 48,660 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $36,040 | $17.33 | 0.8 | 42,920 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $41,270 | $19.84 | 0.81 | 38,250 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 41-2011. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 528 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.