Retail Salespersons salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Retail Salespersons in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $37,810 a year ($18.18 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $36,270 and $45,020 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,470 or less and the top 10 percent earn $49,320 or more. BLS estimates 34,390 Retail Salespersons jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 22.361 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.89 (below the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #22 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $1.44 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,640.20 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Retail Salespersons is about $1.19 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #5 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #3 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $37,810 falls between the national median ($35,410) and the national 75th percentile ($38,670). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 35.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.12 | $41,850 |
| 10th percentile | $17.05 | $35,470 |
| 25th percentile | $17.44 | $36,270 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.18 | $37,810 |
| 75th percentile | $21.64 | $45,020 |
| 90th percentile | $23.71 | $49,320 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($49,320 against $35,470). The middle half spans $8,750 — from $36,270 to $45,020. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.71) is 1.39 times the 10th ($17.05). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,020 takes home $37,019.02 and the 90th percentile wage of $49,320 takes home $40,235.08 — $3,216.06 more net for $4,300 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,607.96, the top decile keeps 1.27 times as much. The mean wage of $41,850 sits 10.7% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Retail Salespersons ranks #27 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $38,450 and Cashiers at $37,020. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,810.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,357.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,344.22 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $548.25 |
| California income tax | $460.70 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $491.53 |
| Total deductions | $6,202.04 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,607.96 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,215.69 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.40% of gross |
At the median, $31,607.96 of the $37,810 gross is kept ($1,215.69 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.40%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.84% at the 10th percentile, 16.04% at the 25th percentile, 17.77% at the 75th percentile, 18.42% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,566.78 on a gross rise of $8,750.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,470) | $29,851.92 | $1,148.15 | 15.84% |
| 25th percentile ($36,270) | $30,452.24 | $1,171.24 | 16.04% |
| Median ($37,810) | $31,607.96 | $1,215.69 | 16.40% |
| 75th percentile ($45,020) | $37,019.02 | $1,423.81 | 17.77% |
| 90th percentile ($49,320) | $40,235.08 | $1,547.50 | 18.42% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,851.92 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,235.08 at the 90th — a spread of $10,383.16 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Retail Salespersons median take-home of $31,607.96 sits $15,472.00 (below that area-wide figure.
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $37,810 is $2,400 (6.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $41,850 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $4,540 (12.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $49,320 is 32% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $35,470 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $37,810 | $18.18 | $41,850 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$37,810 a year ($18.18 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $41,850 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #5 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,810 in California?
About $31,607.96 a year ($1,215.69 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.40% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,020, take-home is $37,019.02.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $37,810 is $2,400 (6.8%) above the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $49,320, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$49,320 a year or more ($23.71 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $49,320 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,235.08 a year ($1,547.50 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.42%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 34,390 Retail Salespersons jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 22.361 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.89 — 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $29,851.92 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,470) to $40,235.08 at the 90th ($49,320), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $1.44 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 34,390 multiplied by the mean wage of $41,850.
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.