Retail Salespersons salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 New York tax rules.
The figures
The median Retail Salespersons in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earns $38,280 a year ($18.40 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn between $36,560 and $45,080 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,680 or less and the top 10 percent earn $60,940 or more. BLS estimates 202,080 Retail Salespersons jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area — 21.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.85 (below the national concentration). That is 5.2% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is the #1 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn about $8.88 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,527.82 a year, so the aggregate take-home of New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Retail Salespersons is about $7.18 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #4 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #2 largest of the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $38,280 falls between the national median ($35,410) and the national 75th percentile ($38,670). Across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $61,430 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 37.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.13 | $43,950 |
| 10th percentile | $16.67 | $34,680 |
| 25th percentile | $17.58 | $36,560 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.40 | $38,280 |
| 75th percentile | $21.67 | $45,080 |
| 90th percentile | $29.30 | $60,940 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn 1.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($60,940 against $34,680). The middle half spans $8,520 — from $36,560 to $45,080. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($29.30) is 1.76 times the 10th ($16.67). In the upper half of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,080 takes home $36,369.48 and the 90th percentile wage of $60,940 takes home $48,187.78 — $11,818.30 more net for $15,860 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,302.64, the top decile keeps 1.54 times as much. The mean wage of $43,950 sits 14.8% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Among the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Retail Salespersons ranks #28 by median pay. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $38,600 and Cashiers at $35,950. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.1% of all employment in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ employs 3.1 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in New York
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in New York; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $38,280.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,413.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,373.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $555.06 |
| New York income tax | $1,470.12 |
| New York Paid Family Leave (employee contribution) | $165.37 |
| Total deductions | $6,977.36 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,302.64 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,203.95 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.23% of gross |
At the median, $31,302.64 of the $38,280 gross is kept ($1,203.95 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.23%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.48% at the 10th percentile, 17.89% at the 25th percentile, 19.32% at the 75th percentile, 20.93% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,348.48 on a gross rise of $8,520.
The same engine at the other published points of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,680) | $28,619.66 | $1,100.76 | 17.48% |
| 25th percentile ($36,560) | $30,021.00 | $1,154.65 | 17.89% |
| Median ($38,280) | $31,302.64 | $1,203.95 | 18.23% |
| 75th percentile ($45,080) | $36,369.48 | $1,398.83 | 19.32% |
| 90th percentile ($60,940) | $48,187.78 | $1,853.38 | 20.93% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $28,619.66 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,187.78 at the 90th — a spread of $19,568.12 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median wage of $61,430 takes home $48,553.24 a year ($1,867.43 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.96%). The Retail Salespersons median take-home of $31,302.64 sits $17,250.60 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ also covers parts of New Jersey. The take-home estimate above uses New York rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Retail Salespersons earns $35,410 a year ($17.03 an hour). The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $38,280 is $2,870 (8.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $43,950 a year in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $6,640 (17.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $60,940 is 37% of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ all-occupations 90th percentile ($166,080), and its 10th percentile of $34,680 is 96% of the area-wide 10th ($36,130).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $38,280 | $18.40 | $43,950 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$38,280 a year ($18.40 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $43,950 a year. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #4 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $38,280 in New York?
About $31,302.64 a year ($1,203.95 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.23% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,080, take-home is $36,369.48.
How does pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $38,280 is $2,870 (8.1%) above the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $60,940, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$60,940 a year or more ($29.30 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
On $60,940 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $48,187.78 a year ($1,853.38 per biweekly paycheck) in New York under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.93%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
BLS estimates 202,080 Retail Salespersons jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — 21.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
The location quotient is 0.85 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
From $28,619.66 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,680) to $48,187.78 at the 90th ($60,940), under the same single-filer assumptions in New York.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
About $8.88 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 202,080 multiplied by the mean wage of $43,950.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.