Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
6 metro areas in Maryland publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 178,690 jobs. The three largest employers of retail salespersons are Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (66,920 jobs), Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (63,990 jobs), Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (39,920 jobs), which hold 95.6% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $31,490 to $36,610 a year, against $35,510 for the whole state and $35,410 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $35,410 a year for retail salespersons (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $27,210 and the highest-paid tenth over $47,890). Employment is projected to change by -0.3% between 2025 and 2035, with about 520,600 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Retail salespersons in Maryland: the highest median pay is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area ($36,610 a year); the most jobs are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area (66,920). Statewide the median is $35,510 with 79,320 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 66,920 | $36,610 | $30,640 | $47,800 | 0.85 | 66% | 108.9 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 63,990 | $34,810 | $27,760 | $48,000 | 0.88 | 51% | 102.6 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 39,920 | $34,800 | $31,200 | $45,980 | 1.17 | 56% | 104.5 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 2,250 | $34,360 | $31,200 | $43,390 | 1.27 | n/a | n/a |
| Salisbury, MD | 1,790 | $33,010 | $31,200 | $42,460 | 1.33 | 46% | 95.6 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 3,820 | $31,490 | $29,850 | $44,210 | 1.42 | 44% | 94.2 |
National page: Retail salespersons →Cities of Maryland
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with a median of $36,610 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with 66,920 jobs.