Parts Salespersons
Also called: Parts Consultant, Parts Counterperson, Parts Salesman, Parts SalespersonSell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 75% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,820 | $28,960 to $44,360 | 5,880 |
| Alaska | $46,130 | $37,870 to $58,970 | 710 |
| Arizona | $46,020 | $37,160 to $58,220 | 3,890 |
| Arkansas | $35,320 | $28,420 to $44,650 | 3,330 |
| California | $44,440 | $37,090 to $56,060 | 26,990 |
| Colorado | $47,660 | $36,400 to $59,210 | 4,840 |
| Connecticut | $44,400 | $36,640 to $52,000 | 3,400 |
| Delaware | $38,050 | $36,000 to $47,890 | 980 |
| Florida | $37,190 | $29,720 to $48,420 | 16,200 |
| Georgia | $36,970 | $29,440 to $49,070 | 9,760 |
| Guam | $26,990 | $23,060 to $27,890 | 70 |
| Hawaii | $45,120 | $37,490 to $52,820 | 930 |
| Idaho | $44,580 | $36,160 to $58,270 | 1,980 |
| Illinois | $42,240 | $35,450 to $54,250 | 8,500 |
| Indiana | $37,500 | $29,860 to $48,550 | 7,080 |
| Iowa | $46,670 | $35,980 to $57,560 | 3,810 |
| Kansas | $36,940 | $28,600 to $48,470 | 3,700 |
| Kentucky | $36,400 | $28,720 to $48,180 | 4,220 |
| Louisiana | $31,310 | $27,180 to $44,460 | 3,960 |
| Maine | $45,350 | $36,240 to $49,920 | 1,630 |
| Maryland | $42,460 | $35,660 to $50,930 | 4,370 |
| Massachusetts | $44,660 | $37,690 to $57,660 | 4,080 |
| Michigan | $44,070 | $36,560 to $57,500 | 7,520 |
| Minnesota | $47,030 | $36,980 to $56,330 | 5,790 |
| Mississippi | $35,000 | $28,560 to $45,070 | 2,940 |
| Missouri | $39,740 | $33,660 to $48,670 | 5,330 |
| Montana | $45,060 | $37,330 to $49,900 | 1,860 |
| Nebraska | $45,100 | $34,590 to $49,780 | 2,360 |
| Nevada | $38,740 | $34,370 to $52,940 | 2,250 |
| New Hampshire | $46,370 | $36,940 to $56,590 | 1,500 |
| New Jersey | $45,510 | $35,280 to $57,350 | 4,810 |
| New Mexico | $36,890 | $30,320 to $46,830 | 1,410 |
| New York | $45,180 | $36,880 to $56,500 | 7,460 |
| North Carolina | $32,480 | $27,860 to $43,680 | 11,460 |
| North Dakota | $48,600 | $42,090 to $59,320 | 1,610 |
| Ohio | $36,790 | $29,120 to $46,870 | 10,580 |
| Oklahoma | $36,390 | $27,970 to $46,810 | 3,980 |
| Oregon | $45,190 | $37,290 to $58,400 | 3,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,520 | $30,790 to $48,640 | 10,430 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,780 | $22,290 to $23,090 | 3,600 |
| Rhode Island | $36,450 | $34,280 to $44,010 | 920 |
| South Carolina | $32,180 | $28,610 to $44,190 | 4,600 |
| South Dakota | $45,370 | $37,760 to $50,770 | 2,100 |
| Tennessee | $36,110 | $29,160 to $47,070 | 6,250 |
| Texas | $35,440 | $28,070 to $45,760 | 25,500 |
| Utah | $39,190 | $34,270 to $51,120 | 3,080 |
| Vermont | $46,260 | $38,450 to $53,870 | 780 |
| Virgin Islands | $28,610 | $23,640 to $31,950 | 40 |
| Virginia | $38,070 | $31,760 to $48,700 | 7,370 |
| Washington | $46,830 | $39,550 to $57,400 | 6,230 |
| West Virginia | $36,800 | $28,510 to $45,830 | 1,880 |
| Wisconsin | $45,380 | $35,980 to $50,700 | 5,200 |
| Wyoming | $38,620 | $29,790 to $48,800 | 750 |
Nationally: $38,630. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 7 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Receive payment or obtain credit authorization. | Not published |
| AI alone | Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock. | Not published |
| Not much | Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock. | Not published |
| Not much | Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices. | Not published |
| AI alone | Receive and fill telephone orders for parts. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Examine returned parts for defects, and exchange defective parts or refund money. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine replacement parts required, according to inspections of old parts, customer requests, or customers' descriptions of malfunctions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare sales slips or sales contracts. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and clean work and inventory areas. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise customers on substitution or modification of parts when identical replacements are not available. | 0.03% |
| Not much | Mark and store parts in stockrooms, according to prearranged systems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Manage shipments by researching shipping methods or costs and tracking packages. | Not published |
| AI alone | Discuss use and features of various parts, based on knowledge of machines or equipment. | 0.05% |
| Not much | Place new merchandise on display. | Not published |
| Not much | Demonstrate equipment to customers, and explain functioning of equipment. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Pick up and deliver parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure parts, using precision measuring instruments, to determine whether similar parts may be machined to required sizes. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair parts or equipment. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #34 Advise others on products or services
- #36 Purchase goods or services
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits |
Show all 17 activities
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Repair workpieces or products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Stock supplies or products |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer36%
- Advice or a recommendation32%
- A recipe or meal plan20%
- An analysis or summary2%
- A chart or visualization2%
How they worked with Claude
9% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for parts salespersons specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 12,225 moves out
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers High +4.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 11,554 moves in
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 6%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
- 5 Stockers and Order Fillers Moderate +8.9% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 47% high school
- 5% postsecondary certificate
- 25% some college
- 9% associate's
- 14% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 15 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 11% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 26% some college
- 8% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,323 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Selling Skills and Sales Operations and Vehicle and Vehicle Parts and Accessories Marketing Operations.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
13.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (SALESPERSON PARTS). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Parts Salespersons” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/41-2022.00