44-45/Retail Trade
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
16.0M
employees, 2023
16.0M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1.04 million US Retail Trade business locations employed 16.0 million people and paid $605.7 billion in annual payroll, $37,746 per employee on average. Employment was up 0.8% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,043,373
-0.2% vs 2022
Employees
16,046,207
+0.8% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$605.7B
+3.7% vs 2022
Average pay
$37,746
+2.9% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Retail Trade in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 106,675 | 1,702,044 | $43,691 | 10.37% |
| Texas | 84,369 | 1,382,827 | $37,660 | 11.51% |
| Florida | 75,988 | 1,146,619 | $37,892 | 11.48% |
| New York | 71,941 | 862,844 | $41,560 | 9.84% |
| Pennsylvania | 40,238 | 650,539 | $34,679 | 11.39% |
| Illinois | 35,801 | 571,091 | $37,101 | 10.09% |
| Ohio | 34,275 | 560,620 | $35,159 | 11.03% |
| North Carolina | 35,534 | 535,341 | $34,297 | 12.51% |
| Georgia | 35,820 | 513,434 | $35,396 | 11.65% |
| New Jersey | 29,729 | 465,759 | $39,839 | 11.81% |
| Michigan | 32,868 | 464,027 | $35,956 | 11.48% |
| Virginia | 25,872 | 423,568 | $35,521 | 11.83% |
| Arizona | 17,844 | 358,161 | $39,918 | 12.39% |
| Massachusetts | 22,550 | 357,807 | $42,388 | 10.26% |
| Tennessee | 23,463 | 349,855 | $36,427 | 11.77% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Retail Trade employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 70,682 | 844,320 | $43,599 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 38,838 | 566,614 | $45,092 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 25,308 | 421,424 | $38,631 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 21,680 | 376,684 | $40,020 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 23,737 | 328,801 | $40,841 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 20,204 | 317,416 | $37,250 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 18,474 | 315,469 | $37,184 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 18,625 | 297,187 | $36,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 15,148 | 265,458 | $39,215 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 15,568 | 262,150 | $43,812 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 11,620 | 246,994 | $42,207 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 10,992 | 224,267 | $41,168 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 14,016 | 200,705 | $37,313 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 12,038 | 198,184 | $49,106 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 9,998 | 195,652 | $36,058 |
Business size
US Retail Trade business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 457,825 | 43.9% |
| 5 to 9 | 248,198 | 23.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 171,604 | 16.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 104,761 | 10.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 32,165 | 3.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 22,574 | 2.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 5,684 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 418 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 144 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Retail Trade and the 9 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 445 | Food and Beverage Retailers | 3,333,898 | $29,308 |
| 441 | Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | 2,015,007 | $65,107 |
| 444 | Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers | 1,424,157 | $38,924 |
| 449 | Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 455 | General Merchandise Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 456 | Health and Personal Care Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 457 | Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers | Not yet published | - |
| 458 | Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 459 | Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers | Not yet published | - |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Retail Trade in the US?
16.0 million people worked at 1.04 million US Retail Trade business locations in 2023, up 0.8% from 2022. That is 11.48% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Retail Trade?
$37,746 a year per employee in 2023, from $605.7 billion in annual payroll (up 2.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Retail Trade jobs?
California had the most, with 1,702,044 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (1,382,827) and Florida (1,146,619).
Which metro areas have the most Retail Trade jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (844,320), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (566,614), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (421,424) had the most Retail Trade employees in 2023.
Are most Retail Trade businesses small?
84.1% of the 1,043,373 Retail Trade business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 562 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.