Retail Salespersons in California

Get the information you need to know about working as a Retail Salesperson.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Retail Salespersons in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Retail Salespersons in California is growing slower than average.

• Retail Salespersons in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Retail Salespersons Work in California?

In 2018, there were 436,300 Retail Salespersons working in the state.

There were 444,820 Retail Salespersons employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 8,520 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 57,530 Retail Salespersons working in it, which means California has more Retail Salespersons than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Retail Salespersons in this state are growing at a rate of 0.8% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 1.7%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 65,170 annual Retail Salespersons job openings in California, and 456,100 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 670,300 annual jobs and 4,682,100 total jobs in 2026.

What do Retail Salespersons Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Retail Salespersons ranged from $22,550 to $45,490 with $26,650 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.84 to $21.87. The median hourly rate was $12.81.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $11.91 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.90.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Retail Salespersons

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Retail Salespersons.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	154,970	$26,870
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	50,380	$29,400
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	46,110	$25,410
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	41,010	$26,230
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	25,880	$25,120
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	20,950	$28,510
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	11,460	$25,810
Fresno, CA	9,550	$25,120
Stockton-Lodi, CA	7,280	$24,830
Bakersfield, CA	7,040	$24,990
Santa Rosa, CA	6,030	$28,660
Modesto, CA	5,910	$24,780
Visalia-Porterville, CA	4,690	$24,930
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	4,620	$27,550
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	4,600	$26,870
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	4,500	$25,610
Salinas, CA	3,900	$29,020
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	3,080	$27,630
El Centro, CA	2,640	$24,110
Merced, CA	2,460	$24,060
Chico, CA	2,340	$25,380
Redding, CA	2,010	$25,810
Napa, CA	1,970	$31,050
Yuba City, CA	1,410	$25,370
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	1,080	$24,390
Madera, CA	780	$24,450

Top States for Retail Salespersons Employment

View the list below to see where most Retail Salespersons work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	436,300	$26,650
Texas	396,330	$23,010
Florida	336,060	$22,930
New York	301,670	$24,840
Illinois	168,130	$23,680
Pennsylvania	167,610	$23,050
Ohio	154,490	$23,010
Michigan	146,550	$23,230
Georgia	144,770	$21,760
North Carolina	141,960	$22,440
New Jersey	131,210	$24,290
Virginia	107,210	$23,470
Washington	103,220	$29,040
Massachusetts	100,970	$25,500
Arizona	92,690	$24,150
Indiana	90,780	$22,100
Tennessee	88,980	$23,070
Minnesota	87,430	$24,960
Colorado	86,610	$25,120
Missouri	82,910	$23,440

Below are the states where Retail Salespersons get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$30,190
Washington	$29,040
Hawaii	$27,100
Alaska	$27,040
North Dakota	$26,820
California	$26,650
Oregon	$26,490
Vermont	$26,450
Connecticut	$26,150
Massachusetts	$25,500

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.