Retail Salespersons salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Retail Salespersons in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $42,080 a year ($20.23 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $38,480 and $45,850 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $37,000 or less and the top 10 percent earn $56,960 or more. BLS estimates 46,620 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 22.346 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.89 (below the national concentration). That is 1.2% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #15 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $2.10 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $38,092.30 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Retail Salespersons is about $1.78 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #2 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #4 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $42,080 falls above the national 75th percentile of $38,670. Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 42.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.65 | $45,020 |
| 10th percentile | $17.79 | $37,000 |
| 25th percentile | $18.50 | $38,480 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.23 | $42,080 |
| 75th percentile | $22.04 | $45,850 |
| 90th percentile | $27.39 | $56,960 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($56,960 against $37,000). The middle half spans $7,370 — from $38,480 to $45,850. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($27.39) is 1.54 times the 10th ($17.79). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,850 takes home $38,754.60 and the 90th percentile wage of $56,960 takes home $47,616.64 — $8,862.04 more net for $11,110 more gross. Against the median take-home of $35,747.18, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $45,020 sits 7.0% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Retail Salespersons ranks #29 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Cashiers at $44,210 and Fast Food and Counter Workers at $39,150. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 0.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $42,080.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,869.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,608.96 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $610.16 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $244.06 |
| Total deductions | $6,332.82 |
| Net pay (annual) | $35,747.18 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,374.89 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.05% of gross |
At the median, $35,747.18 of the $42,080 gross is kept ($1,374.89 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.05%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.34% at the 10th percentile, 14.56% at the 25th percentile, 15.48% at the 75th percentile, 16.40% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,878.90 on a gross rise of $7,370.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($37,000) | $31,695.22 | $1,219.05 | 14.34% |
| 25th percentile ($38,480) | $32,875.70 | $1,264.45 | 14.56% |
| Median ($42,080) | $35,747.18 | $1,374.89 | 15.05% |
| 75th percentile ($45,850) | $38,754.60 | $1,490.56 | 15.48% |
| 90th percentile ($56,960) | $47,616.64 | $1,831.41 | 16.40% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $31,695.22 a year at the 10th percentile to $47,616.64 at the 90th — a spread of $15,921.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Retail Salespersons median take-home of $35,747.18 sits $23,742.70 (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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $42,080 is $6,670 (18.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $45,020 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $7,710 (20.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $56,960 is 34% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $37,000 is 88% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $42,080 | $20.23 | $45,020 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$42,080 a year ($20.23 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $45,020 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #2 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,080 in Washington?
About $35,747.18 a year ($1,374.89 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.05% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,850, take-home is $38,754.60.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $42,080 is $6,670 (18.8%) above the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $56,960, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$56,960 a year or more ($27.39 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $56,960 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $47,616.64 a year ($1,831.41 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.40%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 46,620 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 22.346 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $31,695.22 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($37,000) to $47,616.64 at the 90th ($56,960), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $2.10 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 46,620 multiplied by the mean wage of $45,020.
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.