Retail Sales Workers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Retail Sales Workers in the United States earn a median salary of $35,410 per year — about $17 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 4.2M people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of 0%.
AI & Automation Risk
Retail sales involve a mix of physical tasks (stocking shelves, demonstrating products) and interpersonal interaction that provides a barrier to full automation. However, AI is increasingly handling the information-heavy aspects of the job, such as personalized product recommendations, answering technical questions via kiosks/mobile apps, and automating inventory management and checkout processes, which reduces the total human labor required per store.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewiston, ID-WABEST VALUE | $37,010 | Below avg (91.2) | $40,599 |
| Minot, ND | $35,290 | Below avg (87.0) | $40,550 |
| Bismarck, ND | $36,730 | Below avg (91.0) | $40,352 |
| Wildwood-The Villages, FL | $34,290 | Below avg (85.4) | $40,141 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,220 | Above avg (110.4) | $40,046 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $34,860 | Below avg (87.6) | $39,780 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $34,440 | Below avg (86.7) | $39,740 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $38,680 | Average (97.5) | $39,653 |
| Rochester, MN | $36,000 | Below avg (90.8) | $39,638 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $35,860 | Below avg (90.9) | $39,463 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $34,280 | Below avg (87.7) | $39,092 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | $34,650 | Below avg (88.8) | $39,034 |
| Mankato, MN | $35,350 | Below avg (91.0) | $38,865 |
| Pueblo, CO | $35,580 | Below avg (91.8) | $38,774 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $36,540 | Below avg (94.7) | $38,570 |