Retail Salespersons salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Retail Salespersons in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $33,820 a year ($16.26 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $30,990 and $37,420 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,670 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,490 or more. BLS estimates 29,750 Retail Salespersons jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 22.177 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.88 (below the national concentration). That is 0.8% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #23 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $1.10 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $31,187.50 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Retail Salespersons is about $0.93 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #19 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #5 largest of the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $33,820 falls between the national 25th percentile ($29,900) and the national median ($35,410). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 32.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $17.82 | $37,070 |
| 10th percentile | $14.27 | $29,670 |
| 25th percentile | $14.90 | $30,990 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $16.26 | $33,820 |
| 75th percentile | $17.99 | $37,420 |
| 90th percentile | $22.83 | $47,490 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,490 against $29,670). The middle half spans $6,430 — from $30,990 to $37,420. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.83) is 1.60 times the 10th ($14.27). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,420 takes home $31,452.74 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,490 takes home $39,084.72 — $7,631.98 more net for $10,070 more gross. Against the median take-home of $28,724.00, the top decile keeps 1.36 times as much. The mean wage of $37,070 sits 9.6% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Retail Salespersons ranks #27 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $34,490 and Cashiers at $32,380. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $33,820.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,878.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,096.84 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $490.39 |
| Missouri income tax | $630.14 |
| Total deductions | $5,096.00 |
| Net pay (annual) | $28,724.00 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,104.77 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.07% of gross |
At the median, $28,724.00 of the $33,820 gross is kept ($1,104.77 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.07%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.79% at the 10th percentile, 14.23% at the 25th percentile, 15.95% at the 75th percentile, 17.70% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,873.12 on a gross rise of $6,430.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,670) | $25,578.90 | $983.80 | 13.79% |
| 25th percentile ($30,990) | $26,579.62 | $1,022.29 | 14.23% |
| Median ($33,820) | $28,724.00 | $1,104.77 | 15.07% |
| 75th percentile ($37,420) | $31,452.74 | $1,209.72 | 15.95% |
| 90th percentile ($47,490) | $39,084.72 | $1,503.26 | 17.70% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,578.90 a year at the 10th percentile to $39,084.72 at the 90th — a spread of $13,505.82 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Retail Salespersons median take-home of $28,724.00 sits $12,255.44 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Illinois paycheck calculator.
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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $33,820 is $1,590 (4.5%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $37,070 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $240 (0.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $47,490 is 41% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $29,670 is 95% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $33,820 | $16.26 | $37,070 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$33,820 a year ($16.26 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $37,070 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #19 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $33,820 in Missouri?
About $28,724.00 a year ($1,104.77 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.07% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,420, take-home is $31,452.74.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $33,820 is $1,590 (4.5%) below the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,490, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$47,490 a year or more ($22.83 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $47,490 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $39,084.72 a year ($1,503.26 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 17.70%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 29,750 Retail Salespersons jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 22.177 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 0.88 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $25,578.90 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,670) to $39,084.72 at the 90th ($47,490), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $1.10 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 29,750 multiplied by the mean wage of $37,070.
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.