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Retail Employees by Occupation, Age, and Education

Tables/Charts:

Retail Employees by Occupation, 2010

Share of Retail Employees by Occupation, 2010

Retail Employees by Age, 2010

Share of Retail Employees by Age, 2010

Retail Employees by Education, 2010

Share of Retail Employees by Education, 2010


Summary Points:

  • Not surprisingly, over 66 percent of all retail workers hold sales or other service-related jobs.

  • The retail sector employs 873,000 workers in professional specialty positions, such as nurses, doctors, and lawyers.

  • Many individuals begin employment in the retail sector: retailers employ over half of all teenagers in the workforce.

  • Nearly 30 percent of all retail workers were 24 years old or younger in 2010.

  • Retailing also provides employment for older workers. In 2010, over 14 percent of all retail workers were 55 years old or older.

  • The average retail employee is about 38 years old. The average employee at a food service and drinking place is 29 years old.

  • Nearly half (49.5 percent) of retail employees have college degrees, are currently in college, or have attended college.

  • Of retail employees with college degrees, nearly 70 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher.


Retail Employees by Occupation, 2010
(NAICS Definitions, Thousands of Employees, and Percent)
  Employment* Share of Total
Total Retail
(Plus Food Service and Drinking Places)
24,080 100.00%
Sales 9,419 39.1
Service (a) 6,590 27.4
Administrative Support 2,573 10.7
Mgmt., Business, & Financial 1,971 8.2
Transport. & Material Moving (b) 1,374 5.7
Professional Specialty 873 3.6
Installation, Maint. & Repair 620 2.6
Production 563 2.3
Construction & Extraction 84 0.3
Other 13 0.1
*Employment data from the Current Population Survey include fewer workers than figures reported from the Establishment Survey in earlier tables.
a) Service employees for Retail and Food Service and Drinking Places consist primarily of food service workers, as well as facility managers and security professionals.
b) This category primarily reflects stock handlers and related workers.
Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data.


Share of Retail Employees by Occupation, 2009

Retail Employees by Age, 2010
(NAICS Definitions, Thousands of Employees, and Percent)
  Employment Share of Total
Total Retail Trade 24,080 100.0%
16-19 Years 2,435 10.1
20-24 Years 4,491 18.7
25-34 Years 5,405 22.4
35-44 Years 4,087 17.0
45-54 Years 4,113 17.1
55+ Years 3,549 14.7
* Employment data from the Current Population Survey include more workers than figures reported in earlier tables from the Establishment Survey.
** Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data.


Share of Retail Employees by Age, 2009

Retail Employees* by Education, 2010
(NAICS Definitions, Thousands of Employees, and Percent)
  Employment** Share of Total
Total Retail
(Plus Food Service & Drinking Places)***
17,154 100.0%
Some High School, No Diploma 2,090 12.2
High School Graduate 6,578 38.3
Some College, No Degree 3,410 19.9
College Degree 5,076 29.6
Associate's Degree 1,591 9.3
Bachelor's Degree 2,880 16.8
Master's Degree 445 2.6
Professional Degree 78 0.5
Doctoral Degree 81 0.5
*Data only include retail employees 25 years and over and show the highest level of educational attainment. Employees are assigned only one category. For example, although a retail employee with a bachelor's degree did graduate high school, he or she is counted in the bachelor's degree category and not the high school graduate category.
** Employment data from the Current Population Survey include fewer workers than figures reported in earlier tables from the Establishment Survey.
*** Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data.


Share of Retail Employees by Education, 2009


Retail Industry Indicators 2010 © NRF Foundation
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