SOC 41-2031 · Sales and Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Retail Salespersons make in Salinas, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Retail Salespersons in Salinas, CA is $37,970. The 10th percentile is $35,420 and the 90th percentile is $49,460. Employment is 4,110.

Median annual wage

$37,970

10th percentile
$35,420
25th percentile
$36,270
Median
$37,970
75th percentile
$44,650
90th percentile
$49,460
Mean
$42,390

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods
Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Retail Salespersons, the published 10th percentile is $35,420 and the 90th percentile is $49,460. The difference is $14,040, which is 37.0% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $36,270 to the 75th at $44,650, covers $8,380.

The mean annual wage is $42,390, which sits above the median of $37,970. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Salinas, CA median is 7.2% higher than the national median of $35,410 for Retail Salespersons. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,821, which is 1.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.2% lower than the California median of $38,440.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Salinas, CA is 109.042, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $37,970 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Retail Salespersons at $34,821 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

17 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Retail Salespersons. Salinas, CA ranks 8th of 18 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 46 miles away, with a median of $44,220 and employment of 18,340. That median is 16.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $40,046, against $34,821 here.
  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 66 miles away, with a median of $38,620 and employment of 2,430. That median is 1.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,142, against $34,821 here.
  • Merced, CA is 74 miles away, with a median of $37,740 and employment of 1,480. That median is 0.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,402, against $34,821 here.

Employment share

Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Salinas, CA (4,110 of 186,430). Nationally the occupation is 2.5% of employment (3,897,860 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.88 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Salinas, CA · Retail Salespersons by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Retail Salespersons make in Salinas, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Retail Salespersons in Salinas, CA is $37,970. The 10th percentile is $35,420 and the 90th percentile is $49,460. Employment is 4,110.

How does that compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?

The local median is 7.2% higher than the national median of $35,410.

What is Retail Salespersons pay in Salinas, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Salinas, CA is 109.042, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $37,970 is $34,821. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Salinas, CA compare with nearby metros for Retail Salespersons?

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 46 miles away, at $44,220. Salinas, CA ranks 8th of 18 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.