How much does a store associate make?

The average store associate salary in the United States is $29,543. Store associate salaries typically range between $24,000 and $36,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for store associates is $14.2 per hour. Store associate salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Store associates earn the highest average salary in New York.

Store associate salary

Q: What state pays Store Associates the most?

New York pays Store Associates the most in the United States, with an average salary of $34,497 per year, or $16.59 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a store associate?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a store associate if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in District of Columbia you should be paid close to $34,307 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Store Associate?

A good starting salary for a store associate is $23,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a store associate in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for store associates is $28,619, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a store associate can vary by state.

Q: How much do store associates make?

Store associates make $13.35 an hour ($41,266 a year). The range for what a store associate can make can start as low as $12 an hour to as high as $22 an hour. Factors such as years of experience, company, and location impact how much money a store associate can make.

Average store associate salary

$14.2

$29,543 yearly

Entry-level store associate salary

$24,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Store Associate Salary

The average salary for a store associate in the United States is approximately $29,543 per year or around $14 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific retail sectors. For instance, store associates in high-demand areas or those with specialized skills may earn significantly more.

Where Can Store Associates Earn More?

States like Washington and California often offer higher salaries for store associates, reflecting the cost of living and demand for retail workers. Additionally, urban centers typically provide more lucrative opportunities compared to rural areas.

Salary Estimates Over Time

Over the last few years, the salary for store associates has seen gradual increases, indicating a growing recognition of the value they bring to the retail sector. Tracking these trends can help job seekers anticipate wage growth in their careers.

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Where can a Store Associate earn more?

Compare salary by location

57k

37k

17k

-3k

Columbus, OH$34,461

Greenville, NC$27,103

Compare salary by company

62k

42k

22k

Pro Football Hall of Fame$40,399

Mirabito$31,835

Store associate salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Comparably, the average salary for a store associate typically falls between $24,179 and $39,634.

zippia

$29,543yearly

glassdoor[1]

$38,364yearly

comparably[2]

$24,179yearly

SalaryExpert[3]

$39,634yearly

Average store associate salary by state

The highest-paying states for store associates are New York, Washington, and Vermont. The lowest average store associate salary states are Wyoming, Louisiana, and Alabama.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for store associates

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Maine	$33,231	$15.98
2	New Hampshire	$31,426	$15.11
3	Massachusetts	$33,469	$16.09
4	Connecticut	$31,998	$15.38
5	Vermont	$33,472	$16.09
6	New York	$34,497	$16.59
7	Illinois	$30,693	$14.76
8	Washington	$33,609	$16.16
9	Michigan	$28,716	$13.81
10	Rhode Island	$32,196	$15.48
11	North Dakota	$31,853	$15.31
12	Indiana	$28,428	$13.67
13	Colorado	$30,318	$14.58
14	Minnesota	$32,057	$15.41
15	Pennsylvania	$28,700	$13.80
16	Wisconsin	$28,826	$13.86
17	Ohio	$28,315	$13.61
18	Oregon	$31,739	$15.26
19	Delaware	$29,148	$14.01
20	New Jersey	$30,365	$14.60
21	Arizona	$29,131	$14.01
22	California	$32,159	$15.46
23	South Dakota	$29,798	$14.33
24	Iowa	$28,596	$13.75
25	District of Columbia	$34,307	$16.49
26	Nebraska	$29,249	$14.06
27	West Virginia	$26,173	$12.58
28	Hawaii	$30,607	$14.71
29	Tennessee	$26,493	$12.74
30	Utah	$27,078	$13.02
31	Kentucky	$26,238	$12.61
32	Kansas	$27,546	$13.24
33	Florida	$27,051	$13.01
34	Maryland	$29,460	$14.16
35	Arkansas	$26,095	$12.55
36	Missouri	$27,971	$13.45
37	South Carolina	$26,360	$12.67
38	North Carolina	$26,677	$12.83
39	Alabama	$25,085	$12.06
40	Louisiana	$25,266	$12.15
41	Virginia	$27,168	$13.06
42	Nevada	$26,371	$12.68
43	Texas	$26,170	$12.58
44	Montana	$26,851	$12.91
45	Georgia	$25,605	$12.31
46	Oklahoma	$25,801	$12.40
47	Mississippi	$25,010	$12.02
48	Idaho	$26,254	$12.62
49	Wyoming	$25,308	$12.17
50	Alaska	$24,432	$11.75
51	New Mexico	$23,461	$11.28

Top store associate jobs near you

Highest paying cities for store associates

The highest-paying cities for store associates are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Seattle, WA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$34,461	$16.57
2	Washington, DC	$34,319	$16.50
3	Seattle, WA	$33,660	$16.18
4	Portland, ME	$33,204	$15.96
5	Richmond, CA	$32,569	$15.66
6	Minneapolis, MN	$32,064	$15.42
7	Portland, OR	$31,621	$15.20
8	Chicago, IL	$30,813	$14.81
9	Denver, CO	$30,301	$14.57
10	Baltimore, MD	$29,596	$14.23
11	Omaha, NE	$29,350	$14.11
12	Phoenix, AZ	$29,169	$14.02
13	Fort Wayne, IN	$29,080	$13.98
14	Philadelphia, PA	$28,773	$13.83
15	Grand Rapids, MI	$28,540	$13.72
16	Saint Louis, MO	$28,121	$13.52
17	Columbus, OH	$27,997	$13.46
18	Kansas City, KS	$27,793	$13.36
19	Miami, FL	$27,195	$13.07
20	Greenville, NC	$27,103	$13.03

Store Associates are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Store associate salary details

A store associate's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $36,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average store associate salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a store associate's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$36,000	$3,000	$17
75th Percentile	$32,000	$2,667	$15
Average	$29,543	$2,462	$14
25th Percentile	$26,000	$2,167	$13
10th Percentile	$24,000	$2,000	$12

Top companies hiring store associates now:

Which companies pay store associates the most?

Store associate salaries at Pro Football Hall of Fame and Mars are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average store associate salary at companies like Wayfair and Tractor Supply are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Pro Football Hall of Fame	$40,399	$19.42
2	Mars	$36,361	$17.48
3	Wayfair	$35,678	$17.15
4	Tractor Supply	$35,523	$17.08
5	PPG	$33,662	$16.18
6	Amazon	$33,475	$16.09
7	Highmark	$33,324	$16.02
8	Los Angeles County Museum of Art	$33,193	$15.96
9	Princeton University	$32,871	$15.80
10	CVS Health	$32,322	$15.54
11	Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply	$32,253	$15.51
12	Emerson	$32,233	$15.50
13	Speedway Motors	$32,184	$15.47
14	Camping World	$32,155	$15.46
15	Duluth Trading	$32,115	$15.44
16	Hormel Foods	$32,115	$15.44
17	Pasco-Hernando State College	$32,078	$15.42
18	True Value	$31,963	$15.37
19	Genuine Parts	$31,956	$15.36
20	Mirabito	$31,835	$15.31

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$31,000$30,600$30,200$29,800$29,400$29,000

MaleFemale

Store associate salary trends

The average store associate salary has risen by $6,622 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average store associate earned $22,921 annually, but today, they earn $29,543 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for store associates over the last decade.

Compare store associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average store associate salary over time

Compare store associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Store associate salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$29,500	$14.20	+6.8%
2024	$27,500	$13.24	+4.2%
2023	$26,400	$12.69	+4.1%
2022	$25,300	$12.17	+2.3%
2021	$24,700	$11.90	+4.0%

Recently added store associate salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Aritzia	Store Associate-UTC	San Diego, CA	06/30/2025	$41,740
Aritzia	Retail Stores-Risk Associate	New York, NY	06/30/2025	$41,740
T-Mobile Usa	Mobile Associate, Store-In-Store, Bilingual	Raleigh, NC	06/29/2025	$36,523
T-Mobile Usa	Mobile Associate, Store-In-Store, Bilingual Spanish	Jonesboro, AR	06/29/2025	$36,523
T-Mobile Usa	Mobile Associate, Store-In-Store, Spanish Bilingual Preferred	Baton Rouge, LA	06/29/2025	$36,523
T-Mobile Usa	Mobile Associate, Store-In-Store, Bilingual	Harrisburg, PA	06/29/2025	$36,523
The TJX Companies, Inc.	Store Cleaning Associate	Mesa, AZ	06/29/2025	$29,218
The TJX Companies, Inc.	Store Cleaning Associate	Columbus, OH	06/29/2025	$27,131
The TJX Companies, Inc.	Retail Store Cleaning Associate	Orlando, FL	06/29/2025	$27,131
The TJX Companies, Inc.	NOW Store Cleaning Associate	Flint, MI	06/29/2025	$25,044

Store associate salary FAQs

What state pays Store Associates the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a store associate?

What is a good starting salary for a Store Associate?

How much do store associates make?

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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