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Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers

Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers: Career Profile

Sell goods or services door-to-door or on the street.

The day-to-day responsibilities of door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers span:

  • Explain products or services and prices and demonstrate use of products.
  • Develop prospect lists.
  • Deliver merchandise and collect payment.
  • Write and record orders for merchandise or enter orders into computers.
  • Arrange buying parties and solicit sponsorship of such parties to sell merchandise.
  • Answer questions about product features and benefits.
  • Distribute product samples or literature that details products or services.
  • Circulate among potential customers or travel by foot, truck, automobile, or bicycle to deliver or sell merchandise or services.

Successful door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Persuasion  4.0 / 5
0
5
Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Social Perceptiveness  3.8 / 5
0
5
Service Orientation  3.6 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.4 / 5
0
5
Coordination  3.2 / 5
0
5

Core Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service  4.4 / 5
0
5
Sales and Marketing  4.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.3 / 5
0
5
Administrative  3.0 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  3.0 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  2.6 / 5
0
5

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Balloon Seller
  • Beauty Consultant
  • Beauty Counselor
  • Book Agent
  • Book Canvasser
  • Book Solicitor
  • Bumboater
  • Candy Butcher

Job Outlook

There are about 1,186,233 door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +9.4% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers
Statistic Value
Annual median $40,226
Hourly median $19.34
10th percentile $25,036
25th percentile $32,631
75th percentile $47,821
90th percentile $55,416

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers

Pay by State

State Annual median salary
New York $45,490
Colorado $43,850
Kansas $41,600
Wisconsin $40,640
Washington $38,480
Maryland $37,850
Oregon $37,310
Missouri $36,750
North Carolina $36,270
New Jersey $36,030
California $34,530
Indiana $34,120
Utah $33,230
Florida $31,460
Michigan $31,010
Ohio $30,520
Virginia $30,060
Texas $23,660
South Carolina $20,470
Tennessee $20,470

Pay for door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Middle Atlantic $45,490 6.9% 0.70
Plains States $36,750 6.2% 2.10
Far Western US $35,310 28.0% 1.26
Rocky Mountains $34,448 21.1% 9.51
Great Lakes $32,565 4.2% 0.51
Southwest $23,660 13.8% 0.96
Southeast $14,541 19.7% 2.54

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN OH $84,650
Kansas City, MO-KS MO $41,600 120
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MD $37,850
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ NY $36,690 210
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CA $34,530 420
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL FL $31,200
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL FL $30,880 110
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC VA $29,120 50

The largest employers of door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Information 1,310 $26,250
Construction 1,050 $33,860
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 940 $40,640
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 340 $41,830
Wholesale Trade 210 $38,800
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 100 $33,880
Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers sectors

Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers work in the following industries:

Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers industries

Tech Stack

  • Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Operating system software: Operating system software (in demand)

Work Environment

Daily working conditions for door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Contact With Others

Education and Training

Entry-level door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

Sources

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 41-9091.00 (Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers).

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