Retail Salespersons Salary in California
The median annual wage for retail salespersons in California is $38,440 ($18.48 per hour) — +8.6% vs. the national median of $35,410. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $38,440
- Mean annual wage
- $42,950
- Median hourly wage
- $18.48
- Employment in CA
- 376,460
376,460 employed · 20.7 per 1,000 jobs
Wage percentiles in California
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,240 | $16.94 |
| 25th percentile | $36,350 | $17.48 |
| Median (50th) | $38,440 | $18.48 |
| 75th percentile | $45,460 | $21.86 |
| 90th percentile | $54,310 | $26.11 |
What this salary is worth in California
- Cost-of-living adjusted salary
- $34,718
- Median rent burden
- 63.6%
- Est. affordable home price
- $140,227
California prices are 110.7 vs. U.S. average = 100 (BEA RPP, 2024)
Median gross rent in California: $2,036/mo (ACS 2020-2024). 30% of income = $961/mo
At 6.67% 30-yr rate (FRED, 2026-08), 20% down, 28% front-end DTI, 1.5%/yr taxes+insurance
For context, the median home value in California is $734,700 (ACS 2020-2024).
Estimates from documented formulas — see methodology. Not financial advice.
Retail Salespersons salary in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Other salaries in California
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Regional Price Parities — data period 2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — data period 2020-2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 13, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.