Retail Sales Associate Salary in Memphis, TN (2026)
Median in Memphis: $15.67/hour ($32,580/year) — $2,830 (8%) below the national median. Typical range: $28,110–$37,080.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Memphis, TN metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Retail Sales Associate salary overview
The median Retail Sales Associate salary in Memphis, TN is $15.67/hour ($32,580/year) ($2,830 (8%) below the national median), with a typical range of $28,110–$37,080. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $15.67/hour ($32,580/year) | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| 25th-75th pct | $28,110–$37,080 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| Metro employment | ~17,050 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
Retail Sales Associate pay distribution in Memphis, TN
National median: $35,410/yr. Memphis is $2,830 (8%) below the national median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (SOC 41-2031, Retail Sales Associate).
What retail sales associate pay in Memphis really looks like
At about $15.67 an hour ($32,580 a year), Memphis pays modestly below the national market for retail sales associates — $2,830 (8%) under the U.S. median of $35,410. It is a real gap, but a beatable one: the higher end of the local range closes most of it, and a credential or a supervisory step can push a Memphis retail sales associate past the national figure without leaving the metro.
The local range is moderate — $28,110 at the 25th percentile to $37,080 at the 75th (BLS). Half of Memphis Retail Sales Associates earn inside that band, so it is a realistic target window: an offer near $37,080 is genuinely strong for the metro, while anything under $28,110 is worth pushing back on with the BLS figures in hand.
This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 17,050 retail sales associate jobs across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (a count of metro employment, not a survey of reported salaries). A deep employer base is good news for pay — it means more openings to compare side by side, more turnover creating vacancies, and more leverage to hold out for an employer at the top of the local range instead of settling for the first offer that lands.
Right now, Jobeezy is tracking 24 open retail sales associate jobs in Memphis against the BLS $32,580 benchmark — the live listings and the employers hiring are below, so you can see which openings actually clear the metro median before you apply.
Put it together and the picture for Memphis is concrete: a metro median of $32,580 with most retail sales associates landing between $28,110 and $37,080. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local retail sales associate openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $37,080, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Memphis median, not the ones that sit under it.
Retail Sales Associate pay by hour, week, month & year in Memphis
| Period | Typical Pay |
|---|---|
| Per hour | $15.67 |
| Per week (40 hrs) | $627 |
| Per month | $2,715 |
| Per year | $32,580 |
How we know this — Memphis sources
Wage figures for Retail Sales Associate in Memphis, TN are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (MSA code 32820) (SOC 41-2031), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.
Grow your retail sales associate pay in Memphis
Advancing your pay in Memphis comes down to experience, credentials, and how you negotiate. We keep that guidance on the national Retail Sales Associate guide so it stays current in one place:
Compare Retail Sales Associate pay in nearby metros
Related roles in Memphis
Beyond Retail Sales Associate · same Memphis BLS datasetOther roles hiring in Memphis, TN alongside retail sales associates, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:
- 01Memphis · TN · median $81,500Registered Nurse pay in Memphis
- 02Memphis · TN · median $59,140Sales Representative pay in Memphis
- 03Memphis · TN · median $102,510Operations Manager pay in Memphis
- 04Memphis · TN · median $71,230Logistics Coordinator pay in Memphis
- 05Memphis · TN · median $62,350Warehouse Supervisor pay in Memphis
- 06Memphis · TN · median $78,580Dental Hygienist pay in Memphis
- 07Memphis · TN · median $39,260Medical Assistant pay in Memphis
- 08Memphis · TN · median $60,890Electrician pay in Memphis
Retail Sales Associate pay in Memphis, TN — common questions
- How much does a Retail Sales Associate make in Memphis, TN?
- The median Retail Sales Associate salary in Memphis, TN is $15.67/hour ($32,580/year) ($2,830 (8%) below the national median), with a typical range of $28,110–$37,080 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
- Is Memphis a strong pay market for Retail Sales Associates?
- At a $32,580 median, Memphis is $2,830 (8%) below the national median. The U.S. median is $35,410. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.
- How can I earn more as a Retail Sales Associate in Memphis?
- Target employers paying toward the $37,080 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Retail Sales Associate openings in Memphis and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
- How many Retail Sales Associates work in Memphis?
- BLS estimates roughly 17,050 retail sales associate jobs across Memphis, TN-MS-AR (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).