SalaryExplorer

SOC 41-2031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Retail Salespersons — Utica

Utica-Rome, NY · 10 metro areas compared

$34,530 /year
$16.60per hour
3,010jobs in area
−2.5%vs US median

At $34,530, median pay for Retail Salespersons in Utica, NY tracks the national median of $35,410 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $35,41010TH$32,240MEDIAN$34,53075TH$37,90090TH$47,490

How pay has moved

$36,855$22,9052019202020212022202320242025$34,530
$25,230 in 2019 to $34,530 in 2025, +36.9% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-0.5%
Openings per year
555,800
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Utica-Rome, NY.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $34,530, median pay for Retail Salespersons in Utica, NY tracks the national median of $35,410 closely. Pay ranges from under $32,240 at the tenth percentile to more than $47,490 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $32,590 to $37,900.

The area has 3,010 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.02 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, New York records the highest median at $38,280. Of the 351 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 333rd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Utica-Rome, NY · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$32,240−9.0%
25th$32,590−8.0%
Median (50th)$34,530−2.5%
75th$37,900+7.0%
90th$47,490+34.1%
Mean$38,110+7.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in New York

Median annual wage for Retail Salespersons, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1New York$38,280202,080
2Kingston$36,5301,860
3Kiryas Joel$36,1609,890
4Ithaca$35,5101,170
5Albany$35,42011,930
6Syracuse$35,2508,150
7Glens Falls$35,0701,780
8Buffalo$34,91015,160
9Rochester$34,65012,440
10Binghamton$34,4602,540

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Utica run 7.3% below the national average, so the median of $34,530 goes as far as $37,249 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$34,530as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$37,249US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $34,530 a year, 2.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $32,240 to $47,490 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 3,010 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is New York, at $38,280.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Retail Salespersons in Utica, NY?

The median annual wage is $34,530, or $16.60 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $35,410, so pay in Utica, NY is 2.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Utica, NY earns more than $47,490 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $32,240 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in New York, at $38,280 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 3,010 jobs in this occupation in Utica, NY. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.