Cashiers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Cashiers in the United States earn a median salary of $32,880 per year — about $16 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 3.2M people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -10%.
AI & Automation Risk
While the job has physical components like bagging and stocking, the core function of processing transactions is highly susceptible to automation through computer vision and AI-driven self-checkout systems. The BLS already projects a significant decline in employment due to these technological shifts, as AI can increasingly handle age verification, fraud detection, and customer inquiries.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WABEST VALUE | $44,210 | Above avg (111.1) | $39,781 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $42,960 | Above avg (110.4) | $38,905 |
| Rochester, MN | $34,960 | Below avg (90.8) | $38,493 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | $34,660 | Below avg (91.2) | $38,021 |
| Yakima, WA | $36,010 | Below avg (95.5) | $37,689 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $33,040 | Below avg (87.7) | $37,678 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $36,350 | Average (97.5) | $37,265 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $36,640 | Average (98.4) | $37,254 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $35,280 | Below avg (94.7) | $37,240 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | $33,020 | Below avg (88.8) | $37,198 |
| Bozeman, MT | $38,130 | Average (102.5) | $37,196 |
| Pueblo, CO | $34,050 | Below avg (91.8) | $37,107 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $32,480 | Below avg (87.6) | $37,064 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $37,960 | Average (102.4) | $37,055 |
| Missoula, MT | $35,610 | Below avg (96.4) | $36,923 |