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Salary data · Bespree
Retail Salesperson Salary in Chicago
Retail Salespersons in the Chicago area earn a median of $17.22/hr — based on BLS OEWS May 2025.
At median pay, that's roughly $35,818/year, $689/week, or $2,983/month (40-hour week, before taxes).
Adjusted for local prices, the median $17.22/hr wage is about $16.62/hr in national-average purchasing power, and HUD's one-bedroom FMR equals about 91.8 hours of work, or 53% of gross monthly pay.
About retail salespersons
Job duties, work environment, and education based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What retail salespersons do
Retail salespersons help customers find products and make purchasing decisions. They greet customers, determine their needs, recommend merchandise, explain product features, demonstrate items, process payments, and handle returns. In some stores, salespersons also stock shelves, set up displays, and take inventory. In specialized retail, salespersons may need detailed product knowledge.
Work environment
Retail salespersons work in stores ranging from small shops to large department stores. They stand and walk for most of their shifts. Work schedules often include evenings, weekends, and holidays, especially during peak retail seasons. Part-time employment is common. Some retail salespersons work on commission, which ties their earnings to sales performance.
How to become one
No formal education is required for most retail sales positions, though a high school diploma is preferred. New employees typically receive on-the-job training that lasts from a few days to a few months. Product knowledge, customer service skills, and basic math ability are important. Some salespersons advance to department manager or assistant store manager roles.
Similar occupations
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — bls.gov/ooh. BLS content is in the public domain.
Hourly wage ranges
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level (10th) | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| 25th percentile | $16.25 | $33,800 |
| Median (50th) | $17.22 | $35,818 |
| 75th percentile | $18.45 | $38,376 |
| Top earners (90th) | $23.36 | $48,589 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 · Annual estimate = hourly × 2,080 hrs · Actual annual income varies by hours worked and schedule.
Retail Salespersons — Hourly Pay Distribution
Percentile range from entry-level to top earners
How Chicago compares
Retail Salespersons pay by metro
| Metro | Median/hr |
|---|---|
| Chicago | $17.22 |
| New York City | $18.40 |
| Los Angeles | $18.13 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford | $17.95 |
| Trenton-Princeton | $17.65 |
| New Haven | $17.29 |
| Philadelphia | $16.74 |
| Miami | $16.50 |
| Houston | $15.07 |
Retail Salespersons — Median Hourly Pay by Metro
Sorted by median pay, highest to lowest
What pay means locally
A broad purchasing-power view using BEA regional price data.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare broad local price levels with the U.S. average. They help explain how far a median hourly wage may go in Chicago.
| BLS median wage | $17.22/hr |
|---|---|
| BEA all-items RPP | 103.6 |
| Local price level | 3.6% higher than the U.S. average |
| Cost-adjusted median | $16.62/hr |
HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark
HUD Fair Market Rent is a 40th-percentile gross rent benchmark by bedroom size, not average rent. The one-bedroom value is the default comparison for hourly worker affordability.
| Bedroom size | HUD FMR | Hours at median |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,480/mo | 85.9 hours |
| 1 bedroom | $1,581/mo | 91.8 hours |
| 2 bedroom | $1,781/mo | 103.4 hours |
At the local BLS median wage, HUD's one-bedroom FMR equals about 91.8 hours of work, or roughly 53% of gross monthly pay before taxes.
Methodology: cost-adjusted median = BLS median hourly wage ÷ (BEA all-items RPP ÷ 100). An RPP above 100 means local prices are higher than the U.S. average.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis MARPP 2024, line 1 (RPPs: All items); BEA area 16980: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (Metropolitan Statistical Area).
HUD rent source: FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents, 40th percentile gross rent. HUD area: Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HMFA. HUD row is an Illinois HMFA subset of the broader BLS/BEA Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro.
This is broad metro-level context, not a personal budget, tax, or take-home-pay estimate.
Compare affordability for retail sales associate
Compare the same role across metros using cost-adjusted pay and rent context.
Where retail sales associate pay goes furthest
- Trenton-Princeton
$17.11/hr cost-adjusted median
BLS median: $17.65/hr
- Bridgeport-Stamford
$16.80/hr cost-adjusted median
BLS median: $17.95/hr
- New Haven
$16.54/hr cost-adjusted median
BLS median: $17.29/hr
- New York City
$16.35/hr cost-adjusted median
BLS median: $18.40/hr
Affordability questions
- What is the cost-adjusted wage for retail sales associate in Chicago?
- The BLS median wage is $17.22/hr. After adjusting by the BEA all-items RPP of 103.6, that is about $16.62/hr in national-average purchasing power.
- How many hours does one-bedroom Fair Market Rent take at the median wage?
- HUD's one-bedroom FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HMFA is $1,581/mo. At $17.22/hr, that equals about 91.8 hours of work, or 53% of gross monthly pay before taxes.
- Is this a personal budget estimate?
- No. These are broad metro-level comparisons from public datasets. They do not include taxes, benefits, household size, commuting choices, or actual housing costs.
Job outlook for Retail Salespersons
National employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
🔴 Declining
-5.1% projected growth, 2024–2034
-186,300
2024–2034
~486,400
New + replacement
3,684,600
2024 estimate
No formal credential
Entry-level
On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034. Published August 2025. National-level projections — local growth may differ.
Skills & qualifications
Key skills and knowledge areas from O*NET OnLine, plus representative tools compiled by Bespree for retail salespersons.
- Active Listening
- Persuasion
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Negotiation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Point-of-sale terminals
- Inventory management software
- Barcode scanners
- Customer relationship management software
- Cash registers
Skills and knowledge data from O*NET OnLine, sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Bespree has selected and summarized a subset of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Tools & technology listed are representative examples compiled by Bespree.
Commute-adjusted effective wage
What you actually earn after subtracting the cost of getting to work.
Effective hourly wage after estimated commute costs, based on a 40-hr work week.
| Commute mode | Monthly cost | Hourly impact | Effective wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| No commute cost (baseline) | — | — | $17.22 |
| CTA (monthly unlimited) | ~$105/mo | −$0.61/hr | $16.61/hr |
| Driving + parking (estimate) | ~$380/mo | −$2.19/hr | $15.03/hr |
Methodology: Commute cost is deducted from median hourly wage assuming 2,080 working hours per year (52 weeks × 40 hrs). Costs are directional estimates based on published transit fares or AAA average variable driving costs. Actual costs vary by distance, schedule, vehicle, and commute days.
CTA (monthly unlimited): CTA 30-day unlimited pass, 2024 rate.
Driving + parking (estimate): AAA avg variable cost + estimated Loop-area parking.
Local job market
—
No current paid openings on Bespree
No exact matches right now — new openings are added regularly.
Browse all jobs on Bespree →BLS estimates 96,950 retail salespersons employed in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI area, or 2.5 per 1,000 jobs. (BLS OEWS May 2025)
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Data source: Wage data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, BLS OEWS May 2025. Regional price context uses U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (MARPP 2024, all-items RPP). Rent context uses HUD Fair Market Rents (FY 2026, 40th percentile gross rent). Job outlook data is from the BLS Employment Projections program (BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034). BLS data is in the public domain. Occupation profile content summarized from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Skills and knowledge data from O*NET OnLine, sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Bespree has selected and summarized a subset of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Tools & technology listed are representative examples compiled by Bespree. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after retrieval. Wage figures are estimates and do not constitute a guarantee of earnings. Actual pay depends on employer, experience, certifications, and hours worked. Weekly and monthly earnings shown assume a 40-hour work week and are pre-tax estimates. Commute cost figures and regional price adjustments are directional estimates; actual commute costs, purchasing power, and budgets vary.