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Job outlook for merchandising specialists in the United States
Merchandising specialist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected merchandising specialist job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 63,300 new jobs for merchandising specialists are projected over the next decade.
Merchandising specialist salaries have increased 15% for merchandising specialists in the last 5 years.
There are over 33,477 merchandising specialists currently employed in the United States.
There are 49,769 active merchandising specialist job openings in the US.
The average merchandising specialist salary is $32,920.
Are merchandising specialist jobs in demand?
Merchandising specialist job and salary trends over time
Merchandising specialist jobs over time
Merchandising specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33,477 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 28,212 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 29,509 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 27,018 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 25,323 | 0.01% |
Average merchandising specialist salary over time
Merchandising specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $32,920 | $15.83 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | $31,478 | $15.13 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $30,399 | $14.61 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $29,576 | $14.22 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $28,529 | $13.72 | --0.6% |
Merchandising specialist jobs by state
Most common states for merchandising specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 289 | 22% |
| 2 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 346 | 19% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 105 | 17% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 122 | 16% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 93 | 16% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 141 | 15% |
| 7 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 446 | 14% |
| 8 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 408 | 14% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 910 | 13% |
| 10 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 872 | 13% |
| 11 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 645 | 13% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 250 | 13% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 139 | 13% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,479 | 12% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 717 | 12% |
| 16 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 642 | 12% |
| 17 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 163 | 12% |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 657 | 11% |
| 19 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 495 | 11% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 410 | 11% |
Most common cities for merchandising specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence | 9 | 9% | $29,964 |
| 2 | Canton | 2 | 8% | $29,589 |
| 3 | Clermont | 2 | 6% | $27,321 |
| 4 | Alpharetta | 2 | 3% | $29,513 |
| 5 | Burnsville | 2 | 3% | $34,264 |
| 6 | Carmel | 2 | 2% | $27,660 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $29,366 |
| 8 | Des Moines | 3 | 1% | $31,325 |
| 9 | Baton Rouge | 2 | 1% | $26,880 |
| 10 | Chandler | 2 | 1% | $33,164 |
| 11 | Boston | 3 | 0% | $37,551 |
| 12 | Portland | 3 | 0% | $36,678 |
| 13 | San Diego | 3 | 0% | $41,340 |
| 14 | Charlotte | 2 | 0% | $30,540 |
Merchandising Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of merchandising specialist experts
Miami University
Leslie Stoel Ph.D.
Professor, Marketing and FashionMiami University
Farmer School of Business, Marketing in the Farmer School of Business and Art in the College of Creative Arts
What skills stand out on Merchandising Specialist resumes?
Leslie Stoel Ph.D.: For fashion merchant/merchandising jobs and fashion marketing jobs, analytics and anything digital skills stand out.
What soft skills should all Merchandising Specialists possess?
Leslie Stoel Ph.D.: Important soft skills are the ability to tell the story behind the numbers (what happened and why it happened), strong speaking and presenting skills, evidence showing the student is a good team member/collaborator, empathy for shoppers (to understand their wants/needs), and a high level of confidence.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Merchandising Specialists?
Leslie Stoel Ph.D.: Hard/technical skills relate to the ability to handle and analyze data - whether it be sales data or google analytics data from the company's digital efforts.
What skills will help Merchandising Specialists earn the most?
Leslie Stoel Ph.D.: The skills that allow students to reap high salaries are business analytics (#1) and digital marketing (#2). In both of these areas, it is almost a bidding war across employers.