Pay for retail sales associates is unusually consistent across the country: $21,840 at the bottom of the range, $44,220 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 $27,210 at the 10th percentile to $47,890 at the 90th is only 1.76×, which is narrow. Pay for retail sales associates 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.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $44,220 | $21.26 | 0.64 | 18,340 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $43,850 | $21.08 | 0.66 | 39,460 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $42,080 | $20.23 | 0.89 | 46,620 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $40,870 | $19.65 | 1.39 | 4,600 |
| Napa CA | $40,780 | $19.61 | 1.1 | 2,150 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $39,630 | $19.05 | 1.36 | 2,510 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $39,570 | $19.02 | 1.11 | 5,720 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $39,240 | $18.86 | 1.31 | 1,730 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $38,900 | $18.70 | 0.76 | 1,980 |
| Boulder CO | $38,700 | $18.61 | 1.01 | 4,880 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $38,680 | $18.60 | 1.09 | 1,120 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $38,620 | $18.57 | 0.98 | 2,430 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $38,520 | $18.52 | 0.94 | 2,580 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $38,470 | $18.50 | 1 | 40,340 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $38,470 | $18.50 | 1.18 | 2,770 |
| Vallejo CA | $38,420 | $18.47 | 1.14 | 4,110 |
| Bozeman MT | $38,350 | $18.44 | 1.25 | 2,270 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $38,350 | $18.44 | 1.1 | 3,580 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $38,320 | $18.43 | 1.46 | 3,840 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $38,290 | $18.41 | 0.73 | 1,990 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $38,280 | $18.40 | 0.85 | 202,080 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $38,100 | $18.32 | 0.85 | 22,970 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $38,000 | $18.27 | 0.87 | 1,370 |
| Salinas CA | $37,970 | $18.26 | 0.88 | 4,110 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $37,900 | $18.22 | 0.75 | 920 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.82 | 1,340 |
| Aguadilla PR | $21,950 | $10.55 | 2.17 | 2,660 |
| Ponce PR | $22,030 | $10.59 | 2.25 | 3,580 |
| Mayaguez PR | $22,090 | $10.62 | 2 | 2,610 |
| Guayama PR | $22,190 | $10.67 | 2.09 | 650 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,390 | $10.76 | 2.59 | 2,260 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $22,780 | $10.95 | 1.61 | 27,950 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $26,790 | $12.88 | 1.16 | 2,690 |
| Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $26,930 | $12.95 | 1.28 | 3,970 |
| Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $27,300 | $13.13 | 1.33 | 2,660 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arecibo PR | $22,390 | $10.76 | 2.59 | 2,260 |
| Ponce PR | $22,030 | $10.59 | 2.25 | 3,580 |
| Aguadilla PR | $21,950 | $10.55 | 2.17 | 2,660 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC | $29,320 | $14.10 | 2.12 | 7,780 |
| Guayama PR | $22,190 | $10.67 | 2.09 | 650 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $29,600 | $14.23 | 2.08 | 4,550 |
| Mayaguez PR | $22,090 | $10.62 | 2 | 2,610 |
| Punta Gorda FL | $34,290 | $16.48 | 1.89 | 2,720 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin FL | $33,920 | $16.31 | 1.84 | 5,760 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 1.82 | 1,340 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | $33,880 | $16.29 | 1.8 | 3,700 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $28,220 | $13.57 | 1.74 | 1,580 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $38,280 | $18.40 | 0.85 | 202,080 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $37,700 | $18.13 | 0.83 | 130,650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $33,400 | $16.06 | 0.99 | 100,340 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $35,820 | $17.22 | 0.86 | 96,950 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $34,330 | $16.50 | 1.29 | 91,370 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $32,850 | $15.79 | 1.17 | 84,970 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $31,340 | $15.07 | 0.96 | 78,960 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $35,960 | $17.29 | 1.16 | 69,060 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,610 | $17.60 | 0.85 | 66,920 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $36,850 | $17.72 | 0.95 | 64,150 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $34,810 | $16.74 | 0.88 | 63,990 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $36,670 | $17.63 | 1.05 | 51,180 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 41-2031. 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.