2007 Retail Industry Salaries

Although some college students don’t consider retail a high paying industry, there are actually many great career opportunities in retail that can be quite lucrative. Like other sales employment settings, career-minded employees can find great earning potential through experience, growth, and skill development. Retail career salaries can vary directly or indirectly based on several factors, including:

Location
Experience
Degree
Employer Type
Employer Size
Age

The following two tables demonstrate median salaries for six excellent retail careers in the United States, compiled from data from PayScale.com. The first table provides a geographical view of retail salaries with a good cross-section of median salaries by state for Store Managers, Assistant Managers, District Managers, Loss Prevention Managers, Assistant Buyers, and Department Managers. The second table provides median US salaries based on years of experience for the six positions, and demonstrates increased salary opportunities through experience.

Keep in mind, cost of living varies by location, as well. Additionally, the following salary information does not take into account bonuses, commissions, and revenue and profit sharing routine to many retailers. Some managers can earn as much 25-35% more annually by running successful stores or organizations.

Median Salaries for Retail Careers by LOCATION

LOCATION	Store Manager	Asst Manager	District Mgr	Loss Prev Manager	Assistant Buyer	Department Manager
United States	43,476	40,566	63,182	41,136	40,912	41,580
California	49,212	42,642	66,756	46,884	41,907	44,106
Florida	40,363	38,066	58,105	38,356	36,484	37,763
Texas	39,724	37,963	62,040	43,370	38,088	37,557
New York	45,168	40,998	71,818	50,272	40,963	43,276
Pennsylvania	40,544	37,349	61,173	43,298	36,215	39,345
Illinois	40,851	38,243	63,795	43,579	40,250	38,121
Other	44,212 (NJ)	36,837 (GA)	56,604 (Ohio)	44,080 (WA)	39,992 (NJ)	42,448 (Mass)

Median Salaries for Retail Careers by YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE	Store Manager	Asst Manager	District Mgr	Loss Prev Manager	Assistant Buyer	Department Manager
Less than 1 year	33,070	31,171	49,892	40,412	37,979	33,383
1-4 years	35,124	34,615	52,096	38,972	38,795	35,084
5-9 years	40,560	38,583	59,612	43,884	42,798	39,451
10-19 years	45,285	42,253	64,850	46,239	44,471	43,120
20 years or more	50,182	45,041	69,804	63,419	49,638	48,970

The following graph shows 2007 median salary by career position in the US retail industry.

Retail Career Location and Experience Graphs

The graphs that following provide the LOCATION and EXPERIENCE breakdowns for each of the six retail career positions summarized in the above tables. They provide a good visual demonstration of the increased earning potential through years of growth and experience, as well as a good visual comparison of salary variance by state, throughout the United States.

Median Salary by Years of Experience – Retail Manager

Median Salary by State – Retail Manager

Median Salary by Experience - Assistant Manager

Median Salary by State – Assistant Manager

Median Salary by Experience - District Manager

Median Salary by State – District Manager

Median Salary by Experience - Loss Prevention Manager

Median Salary by State – Loss Prevention Manager

Median Salary by Experience – Assistant Buyer

Median Salary by State – Assistant Buyer

Median Salary by Experience – Department Manager

Median Salary by State – Department Manager

In spite of myths that still hold true for many college students, this salary data gives credible support to retail as an opportunity for strong earning potential, as well as a fun and fast-paced career option. Hard working and ambition employees can find great paying, high ranking positions early with fast growing companies.

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