Retail Employees by Occupation, Age, and Education
Tables/Charts:Retail Employees by Occupation, 2010
Share of Retail Employees by Occupation, 2010
Share of Retail Employees by Age, 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. | ||
 | Retail Industry Indicators 2010 © NRF Foundation www.nrffoundation.com |