San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a retail salesperson make in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA?

In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, retail salespersons earned a median of $44,220 a year ($21.26 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 18,340 of these jobs there. That is 47% below the $84,050 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $39,300 and $58,300; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $36,959 in take-home pay.

Retail salesperson pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA at a glance

Median salary

$44,220$21.26 per hour · $3,685 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$39,300$18.89/hr
25th percentile$40,980$19.70/hr
75th percentile$47,010$22.60/hr
90th percentile$58,300$28.03/hr
Jobs in this metro18,340Location quotient 0.64 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here47% belowAll-jobs median $84,050
Against California15% aboveStatewide median $38,440
Against the U.S.25% aboveNational median $35,410

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Retail salesperson salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA after taxes

$44,220
$15,000$90,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$44,220
Net 84%
Fed 7%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$36,959After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,080Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,422Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,126 / yr
California state income tax$751 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,383 / yr

Retail salespersons pay range in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What retail salespersons earned in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$18.89/hr$3,275$39,300$33,203
25th percentile$19.70/hr$3,415$40,980$34,486
MedianMedian$21.26/hr$3,685$44,220$36,959
75th percentile$22.60/hr$3,918$47,010$39,089
90th percentile$28.03/hr$4,858$58,300$47,487

Is $44,220 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for retail salespersons next to both.

Median household income$162,111Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)110.410.4% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household27.3%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Retail salesperson pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for retail salespersons in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for retail salespersons in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area was $44,220 in May 2025, about $3,685 a month or $21.26 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $38,440, so the metro pays 15% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for retail salespersons in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

The median hourly wage for retail salespersons in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA was $21.26 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $18.89 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.03.

How many retail salespersons work in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

BLS estimated 18,340 jobs for retail salespersons in the metro in May 2025, or 16.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.64 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for retail salespersons in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

BLS wage estimates for retail salespersons in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA run from $39,300 at the 10th percentile to $40,980 at the 25th, $47,010 at the 75th, and $58,300 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do retail salespersons take home after taxes in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

On a median gross salary of $44,220, an estimated $36,959 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,422 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,261 (an effective rate of 16.4%).

How much do retail salespersons make per month in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

On the median annual salary of $44,220, gross monthly income is $3,685. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,080 per month (or $1,422 every two weeks).

Is $44,220 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

At $44,220, the median salary for retail salespersons is 27.3% of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA median household income ($162,111). It is 47% below the $84,050 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 110.4, so prices here run 10.4% above the U.S. average.