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.
9 metro areas in Minnesota publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 76,230 jobs. The three largest employers of retail salespersons are Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (51,180 jobs), Sioux Falls (5,960 jobs), Fargo (4,160 jobs), which hold 80.4% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $34,090 to $36,670 a year, against $36,370 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 Minnesota: the highest median pay is in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area ($36,670 a year); the most jobs are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (51,180). Statewide the median is $36,370 with 74,840 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) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 51,180 | $36,670 | $29,260 | $48,260 | 1.05 | 47% | 104.8 |
| Rochester, MN | 2,900 | $36,000 | $28,410 | $49,110 | 0.94 | 43% | 90.8 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 4,160 | $35,860 | $28,140 | $50,180 | 1.12 | 32% | 90.9 |
| Mankato, MN | 1,780 | $35,350 | $28,150 | $45,380 | 1.27 | 36% | 91.0 |
| St. Cloud, MN | 2,850 | $34,860 | $28,430 | $47,720 | 1.09 | 36% | 87.6 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 3,490 | $34,650 | $27,500 | $45,710 | 1.12 | 34% | 88.8 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 5,960 | $34,600 | $28,750 | $61,880 | 1.33 | 35% | 90.6 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | 1,620 | $34,440 | $27,890 | $48,070 | 1.25 | 34% | 86.7 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 2,290 | $34,090 | $26,180 | $47,090 | 1.08 | 36% | 91.8 |
National page: Retail salespersons →Cities of Minnesota
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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area, with a median of $36,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area, with 51,180 jobs.