Retail salespersons: how women's and men's pay compare
Among full-time, year-round retail salespersons in the United States, women had a median of $37,383 in 2024 and men had $51,171. Women's median was 73.1% of men's (margin of error ±1.4%). The $13,788 difference is larger than its margin of error (±$775), so it is statistically distinguishable from zero at the 90% level the Census Bureau uses. That is a wider ratio than the 83.1% for all full-time, year-round workers ($55,678 vs $66,965, Census table B20017).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, tables B24122/B24123/B24125/B24126. Full-time, year-round civilian workers 16+, 2024 dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-09. ± values are 90% margins of error.
Where this occupation sits
About 610,987 women and 1,025,849 men worked full-time, year-round in this occupation, so women were 37.3% of the group (±0.8%). That makes it a majority-men occupation, ranked #27 of 40 in this set by women's share.
Among the 40 large occupations in this set, it ranks #37 for the smallest gap (women's median as a share of men's; #1 is closest to equal), #32 for women's median earnings, and #15 for the largest dollar difference.
Occupations with a similar share of women
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and operations managers | $75,188 | $94,465 | 79.6% | 37% |
| Stockers and order fillers | $34,483 | $36,695 | 94.0% | 37% |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | $44,799 | $59,744 | 75.0% | 38% |
Occupations with a similar pay ratio
| Occupation | Women | Men | Women/men | Women's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of production and operating workers | $52,076 | $71,486 | 72.8% | 23% |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | $44,799 | $59,744 | 75.0% | 38% |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | $46,973 | $61,158 | 76.8% | 42% |
What this number does and doesn't tell you
- These are unadjusted medians for people who worked full-time, year-round. They do not control for hours beyond full-time, years of experience, seniority, employer, location, or the specific jobs inside the occupation group.
- A gap here is a description, not proof of discrimination, and the absence of a gap does not prove equal treatment. Estimates come from a sample survey, which is why every figure has a margin of error.
- The Census Bureau groups jobs into detailed occupations; "Retail salespersons" is the Bureau's category and may combine jobs you think of as different.
- For a specific state, see the state pay-gap pages. To compare any two jobs, use the pay-gap lookup tool. For how we work with data, see our methodology.