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.
16 metro areas in North Carolina publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 128,160 jobs. The three largest employers of retail salespersons are Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (35,150 jobs), Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (20,890 jobs), Raleigh-Cary (18,660 jobs), which hold 58.3% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $28,830 to $34,110 a year, against $31,370 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 North Carolina: the highest median pay is in the Asheville, NC area ($34,110 a year); the most jobs are in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area (35,150). Statewide the median is $31,370 with 127,540 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) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville, NC | 5,570 | $34,110 | $23,570 | $46,660 | 1.23 | 46% | 96.5 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 35,150 | $33,580 | $24,080 | $46,730 | 1.03 | 53% | 97.3 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 18,660 | $33,100 | $24,090 | $46,900 | 1.00 | 57% | 98.2 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 5,850 | $31,790 | $23,990 | $45,620 | 0.68 | 55% | 97.6 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 20,890 | $30,820 | $26,960 | $44,570 | 1.09 | 58% | 97.9 |
| Wilmington, NC | 6,310 | $30,790 | $22,820 | $45,910 | 1.32 | 54% | 96.4 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 9,510 | $30,750 | $23,070 | $45,720 | 1.04 | 43% | 92.9 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 4,000 | $30,520 | $22,500 | $45,700 | 1.04 | 34% | 88.5 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 4,240 | $30,440 | $22,380 | $43,700 | 1.29 | 48% | 92.0 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 6,790 | $30,100 | $22,520 | $45,180 | 1.00 | 41% | 92.0 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 1,370 | $30,020 | $22,420 | $42,860 | 1.28 | 50% | 88.3 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 1,460 | $29,960 | $21,820 | $44,260 | 1.44 | 39% | 88.5 |
| Burlington, NC | 2,570 | $29,630 | $22,670 | $44,500 | 1.51 | 43% | 93.2 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 2,040 | $29,480 | $21,440 | $42,220 | 1.55 | 51% | 92.1 |
| Greenville, NC | 2,370 | $29,250 | $22,340 | $42,910 | 1.17 | 41% | 88.4 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 1,380 | $28,830 | $21,590 | $43,870 | 1.01 | 38% | 88.0 |
National page: Retail salespersons →Cities of North Carolina
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 Asheville, NC area, with a median of $34,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, with 35,150 jobs.