Retail Sales Associate
Retail Sales Associate Salary
$20K - $22K
2% of jobs
$22K - $24K
2% of jobs
$24K - $26K
3% of jobs
$26K - $28K
5% of jobs
$29.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$28K - $30K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $31.4K / yr.
$30K - $32K
31% of jobs
$33.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$32K - $34K
19% of jobs
$34K - $36K
9% of jobs
$36K - $38K
7% of jobs
$38K - $40K
5% of jobs
$40K - $42K
2% of jobs
$20K
$31.5K
$42.5K
$32,589
/year
$15.67
/hour
Retail Sales Associate Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$32,589
Columbus
Ohio
$31,478
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How much does a Retail Sales Associate make?
As of Aug 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Retail Sales Associate in the United States is $32,589 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $15.67 an hour. This is the equivalent of $626/week or $2,715/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $42,500 and as low as $20,000, the majority of Retail Sales Associate salaries currently range between $30,000 (25th percentile) to $34,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $38,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Retail Sales Associate varies little (about 4500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Retail Sales Associate in your area makes on average $31,478 per year, or $1,111 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $32,589. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Retail Sales Associate salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Retail Sales Associate jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Retail Sales Associate on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Retail Sales Associate Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Retail Sales Associate job is above the national average. Topping the list is Corcoran, CA, , with Picnic Point, WA, and Soledad, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Soledad, CA, beats the national average by $16,161 (49.6%), and Corcoran, CA, furthers that trend with another $19,360 (59.4%) above the $32,589 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Retail Sales Associate appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between Corcoran, CA, and Two Rivers, WI, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Retail Sales Associate role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Corcoran, CA | $51,949 | $24.98 |
Picnic Point, WA | $51,608 | $24.81 |
Soledad, CA | $48,750 | $23.44 |
Lake Los Angeles, CA | $48,207 | $23.18 |
Mineral, VA | $47,364 | $22.77 |
Gonzales, CA | $47,081 | $22.64 |
Surry, VA | $46,871 | $22.53 |
Ione, CA | $46,678 | $22.44 |
Portola Valley, CA | $45,423 | $21.84 |
Two Rivers, WI | $43,974 | $21.14 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Retail Sales Associate Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Retail Sales Associate category.
For example Online Stock Broker jobs pay as much as $39,902 (122.4%) more than the average Retail Sales Associate salary of $32,589. If you're qualified, finding work as a Online Stock Broker may help you make more money than that of the average Retail Sales Associate position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Online Stock Broker | $72,491 | $34.85 |
Sales Floor Associate | $58,914 | $28.32 |
Nike Store | $47,574 | $22.87 |
Payment Associate | $41,327 | $19.87 |
Firearms Sales Associate | $36,946 | $17.76 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
