Retail Salespersons salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Retail Salespersons in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $31,340 a year ($15.07 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn between $28,000 and $36,820 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $23,350 or less and the top 10 percent earn $45,670 or more. BLS estimates 78,960 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area — 24.003 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.96 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 2.0% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn about $2.74 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $30,013.30 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Retail Salespersons is about $2.37 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #25 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $31,340 falls between the national 25th percentile ($29,900) and the national median ($35,410). Across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $49,410 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 36.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $16.65 | $34,640 |
| 10th percentile | $11.23 | $23,350 |
| 25th percentile | $13.46 | $28,000 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $15.07 | $31,340 |
| 75th percentile | $17.70 | $36,820 |
| 90th percentile | $21.96 | $45,670 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn 2.0 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($45,670 against $23,350). The middle half spans $8,820 — from $28,000 to $36,820. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($21.96) is 1.96 times the 10th ($11.23). In the upper half of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $36,820 takes home $31,765.08 and the 90th percentile wage of $45,670 takes home $38,875.68 — $7,110.60 more net for $8,850 more gross. Against the median take-home of $27,361.74, the top decile keeps 1.42 times as much. The mean wage of $34,640 sits 10.5% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, Retail Salespersons ranks #25 by median pay. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $35,050 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $30,650. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.4% of all employment in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employs 1.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $31,340.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,580.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,943.08 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $454.43 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $3,978.26 |
| Net pay (annual) | $27,361.74 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,052.37 |
| Total deduction rate | 12.69% of gross |
At the median, $27,361.74 of the $31,340 gross is kept ($1,052.37 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 12.69%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 10.75% at the 10th percentile, 11.90% at the 25th percentile, 13.73% at the 75th percentile, 14.88% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,097.24 on a gross rise of $8,820.
The same engine at the other published points of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($23,350) | $20,838.92 | $801.50 | 10.75% |
| 25th percentile ($28,000) | $24,667.84 | $948.76 | 11.90% |
| Median ($31,340) | $27,361.74 | $1,052.37 | 12.69% |
| 75th percentile ($36,820) | $31,765.08 | $1,221.73 | 13.73% |
| 90th percentile ($45,670) | $38,875.68 | $1,495.22 | 14.88% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $20,838.92 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,875.68 at the 90th — a spread of $18,036.76 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median wage of $49,410 takes home $41,880.92 a year ($1,610.80 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.24%). The Retail Salespersons median take-home of $27,361.74 sits $14,519.18 (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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $31,340 is $4,070 (11.5%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $34,640 a year in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $2,670 (7.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $45,670 is 36% of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($128,040), and its 10th percentile of $23,350 is 85% of the area-wide 10th ($27,380).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $31,340 | $15.07 | $34,640 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$31,340 a year ($15.07 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $34,640 a year. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #25 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $31,340 in Texas?
About $27,361.74 a year ($1,052.37 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 12.69% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $36,820, take-home is $31,765.08.
How does pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $31,340 is $4,070 (11.5%) below the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $45,670, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$45,670 a year or more ($21.96 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
On $45,670 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,875.68 a year ($1,495.22 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 14.88%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
BLS estimates 78,960 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — 24.003 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The location quotient is 0.96 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
From $20,838.92 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($23,350) to $38,875.68 at the 90th ($45,670), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
About $2.74 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 78,960 multiplied by the mean wage of $34,640.
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.