Retail Salespersons
Also called: Sales Associate, Sales Clerk, Sales Consultant, Sales PersonSell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, appliances, or apparel to consumers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 24 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.3% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. 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, 6.0% 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 91% 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 | $30,040 | $27,150 to $36,140 | 60,880 |
| Alaska | $37,290 | $32,160 to $42,350 | 7,890 |
| Arizona | $35,720 | $32,480 to $38,050 | 93,920 |
| Arkansas | $29,270 | $26,980 to $35,350 | 35,510 |
| California | $38,440 | $36,350 to $45,460 | 376,460 |
| Colorado | $37,950 | $35,740 to $44,460 | 76,660 |
| Connecticut | $36,490 | $35,030 to $39,550 | 42,410 |
| Delaware | $35,360 | $31,200 to $38,230 | 13,400 |
| District of Columbia | $38,500 | $37,820 to $44,230 | 4,660 |
| Florida | $34,010 | $29,460 to $37,070 | 333,460 |
| Georgia | $30,840 | $27,610 to $36,420 | 143,120 |
| Guam | $24,000 | $21,890 to $29,530 | 1,540 |
| Hawaii | $37,790 | $34,990 to $44,840 | 19,180 |
| Idaho | $35,080 | $29,120 to $38,930 | 20,180 |
| Illinois | $35,370 | $32,250 to $37,750 | 126,610 |
| Indiana | $31,530 | $27,720 to $37,260 | 83,670 |
| Iowa | $31,360 | $28,580 to $36,240 | 41,000 |
| Kansas | $32,180 | $28,080 to $36,740 | 33,360 |
| Kentucky | $29,650 | $26,190 to $35,760 | 51,250 |
| Louisiana | $29,490 | $26,020 to $36,110 | 49,570 |
| Maine | $36,640 | $34,720 to $43,270 | 18,450 |
| Maryland | $35,510 | $33,380 to $37,750 | 79,320 |
| Massachusetts | $36,610 | $34,960 to $40,510 | 86,860 |
| Michigan | $34,640 | $29,300 to $37,750 | 111,010 |
| Minnesota | $36,370 | $32,970 to $38,640 | 74,840 |
| Mississippi | $28,640 | $23,480 to $35,300 | 38,400 |
| Missouri | $33,460 | $29,850 to $36,940 | 67,140 |
| Montana | $36,270 | $30,510 to $43,240 | 13,490 |
| Nebraska | $31,870 | $28,950 to $36,860 | 22,780 |
| Nevada | $34,190 | $28,330 to $37,550 | 43,920 |
| New Hampshire | $36,200 | $31,380 to $40,480 | 23,880 |
| New Jersey | $36,520 | $34,230 to $44,400 | 72,530 |
| New Mexico | $33,300 | $29,320 to $36,680 | 23,800 |
| New York | $37,720 | $35,670 to $44,130 | 238,540 |
| North Carolina | $31,370 | $27,720 to $36,930 | 127,540 |
| North Dakota | $36,040 | $30,340 to $39,160 | 11,320 |
| Ohio | $30,800 | $28,000 to $36,630 | 137,370 |
| Oklahoma | $29,660 | $26,220 to $36,350 | 43,830 |
| Oregon | $36,770 | $34,760 to $43,860 | 48,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,200 | $27,820 to $36,700 | 141,790 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,560 | $21,840 to $27,080 | 41,230 |
| Rhode Island | $34,860 | $31,520 to $37,730 | 12,830 |
| South Carolina | $30,690 | $27,280 to $36,340 | 67,310 |
| South Dakota | $34,370 | $29,510 to $41,770 | 14,180 |
| Tennessee | $31,950 | $28,070 to $36,660 | 87,380 |
| Texas | $30,800 | $27,750 to $36,540 | 341,640 |
| Utah | $33,900 | $29,050 to $38,040 | 47,570 |
| Vermont | $37,400 | $34,530 to $45,710 | 8,250 |
| Virgin Islands | $28,790 | $25,460 to $36,590 | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $34,240 | $29,120 to $37,300 | 100,290 |
| Washington | $39,560 | $37,130 to $45,170 | 84,850 |
| West Virginia | $28,950 | $25,200 to $35,520 | 19,050 |
| Wisconsin | $34,480 | $29,100 to $37,810 | 67,640 |
| Wyoming | $34,310 | $29,100 to $39,240 | 8,770 |
Nationally: $35,410. 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 12 of its 24 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Greet customers and ascertain what each customer wants or needs. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Recommend, select, and help locate or obtain merchandise based on customer needs and desires. | 0.22% |
| AI alone | Answer questions regarding the store and its merchandise. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices. | Not published |
| AI alone | Describe merchandise and explain use, operation, and care of merchandise to customers. | 0.16% |
| Not much | Ticket, arrange, and display merchandise to promote sales. | Not published |
See all 24 tasks
| AI + software | Compute sales prices, total purchases, and receive and process cash or credit payment. | Not published |
| Not much | Demonstrate use or operation of merchandise. | Not published |
| Not much | Inventory stock and requisition new stock. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare merchandise for purchase or rental. | Not published |
| Not much | Watch for and recognize security risks and thefts and know how to prevent or handle these situations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Place special orders or call other stores to find desired items. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean shelves, counters, and tables. | Not published |
| Not much | Exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records related to sales. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Help customers try on or fit merchandise. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare sales slips or sales contracts. | Not published |
| Not much | Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits. | Not published |
| Not much | Bag or package purchases and wrap gifts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Sell or arrange for delivery, insurance, financing, or service contracts for merchandise. | Not published |
| Not much | Estimate and quote trade-in allowances. | Not published |
| AI + software | Estimate cost of repair or alteration of merchandise. | Not published |
| AI alone | Estimate quantity and cost of merchandise required, such as paint or floor covering. | Not published |
| AI alone | Rent merchandise to customers. | 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. 5 of the 24 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 24 tasks fall under 20 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.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- and 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise |
Show all 20 activities
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Reconcile financial data | |||
| Package objects |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation57%
- An explanation or answer24%
- A plan or strategy2%
- A document or report2%
- A recipe or meal plan2%
How they worked with Claude
8% 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 retail 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 1,315,748 moves out
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 915,434 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 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
- 19% less than high school
- 63% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 1% some college
- 10% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 9% less than high school
- 31% high school
- 27% some college
- 9% associate's
- 19% bachelor's
- 4% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 30,190 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
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
15.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 1.4% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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 · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/41-2031.00