Best US Cities for Cashiers
Top US cities for Cashiers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $38,100 | 1.45× | +$9,100 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $37,200 | 1.30× | +$8,200 |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $36,100 | 1.35× | +$7,100 |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $35,500 | 1.32× | +$6,500 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $35,500 | 1.22× | +$6,500 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $35,300 | 1.21× | +$6,300 |
| 7 | Yonkers, NY | $35,100 | 1.20× | +$6,100 |
| 8 | Irvine, CA | $35,100 | 1.30× | +$6,100 |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA | $34,700 | 1.18× | +$5,700 |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $34,700 | 1.18× | +$5,700 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $38,100 | $18/hr |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $37,200 | $18/hr |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $36,100 | $17/hr |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $35,500 | $17/hr |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $35,500 | $17/hr |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $35,300 | $17/hr |
| 7 | Yonkers, NY | $35,100 | $17/hr |
| 8 | Irvine, CA | $35,100 | $17/hr |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA | $34,700 | $17/hr |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $34,700 | $17/hr |
| 11 | Scottsdale, AZ | $34,700 | $17/hr |
| 12 | Boston, MA | $33,500 | $16/hr |
| 13 | Miami, FL | $33,300 | $16/hr |
| 14 | Anchorage, AK | $33,100 | $16/hr |
| 15 | Seattle, WA | $32,700 | $16/hr |
| 16 | Chesapeake, VA | $32,200 | $15/hr |
| 17 | Chula Vista, CA | $32,000 | $15/hr |
| 18 | Stockton, CA | $31,800 | $15/hr |
| 19 | Hialeah, FL | $31,800 | $15/hr |
| 20 | Frisco, TX | $31,800 | $15/hr |
| 21 | Minneapolis, MN | $31,600 | $15/hr |
| 22 | Phoenix, AZ | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 23 | Tampa, FL | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 24 | Henderson, NV | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 25 | Reno, NV | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 26 | Gilbert, AZ | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 27 | Charleston, SC | $31,200 | $15/hr |
| 28 | Portland, OR | $31,000 | $15/hr |
| 29 | Newark, NJ | $31,000 | $15/hr |
| 30 | Orlando, FL | $31,000 | $15/hr |
| 31 | Sacramento, CA | $31,000 | $15/hr |
| 32 | Riverside, CA | $31,000 | $15/hr |
| 33 | Virginia Beach, VA | $30,700 | $15/hr |
| 34 | Denver, CO | $30,600 | $15/hr |
| 35 | Colorado Springs, CO | $30,500 | $15/hr |
| 36 | St. Petersburg, FL | $30,500 | $15/hr |
| 37 | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | $14/hr |
| 38 | Austin, TX | $30,000 | $14/hr |
| 39 | Baltimore, MD | $30,000 | $14/hr |
| 40 | Aurora, CO | $30,000 | $14/hr |
| 41 | Tucson, AZ | $29,900 | $14/hr |
| 42 | Glendale, AZ | $29,900 | $14/hr |
| 43 | Garland, TX | $29,900 | $14/hr |
| 44 | Las Vegas, NV | $29,800 | $14/hr |
| 45 | Plano, TX | $29,800 | $14/hr |
| 46 | Chandler, AZ | $29,800 | $14/hr |
| 47 | New Orleans, LA | $29,500 | $14/hr |
| 48 | Philadelphia, PA | $29,400 | $14/hr |
| 49 | Atlanta, GA | $29,400 | $14/hr |
| 50 | Salt Lake City, UT | $29,400 | $14/hr |
| 51 | San Antonio, TX | $29,300 | $14/hr |
| 52 | Columbus, OH | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 53 | Wilmington, DE | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 54 | Raleigh, NC | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 55 | St. Paul, MN | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 56 | North Las Vegas, NV | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 57 | Boise, ID | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 58 | Fresno, CA | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 59 | Knoxville, TN | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 60 | Worcester, MA | $29,000 | $14/hr |
| 61 | Dallas, TX | $28,800 | $14/hr |
| 62 | Nashville, TN | $28,800 | $14/hr |
| 63 | Bakersfield, CA | $28,800 | $14/hr |
| 64 | Madison, WI | $28,800 | $14/hr |
| 65 | Norfolk, VA | $28,600 | $14/hr |
| 66 | Jacksonville, FL | $28,400 | $14/hr |
| 67 | Charlotte, NC | $28,400 | $14/hr |
| 68 | Memphis, TN | $28,400 | $14/hr |
| 69 | Mesa, AZ | $28,400 | $14/hr |
| 70 | Houston, TX | $28,200 | $14/hr |
| 71 | Fort Worth, TX | $28,200 | $14/hr |
| 72 | Spokane, WA | $28,200 | $14/hr |
| 73 | Pittsburgh, PA | $28,000 | $13/hr |
| 74 | Arlington, TX | $28,000 | $13/hr |
| 75 | Tallahassee, FL | $28,000 | $13/hr |
| 76 | Milwaukee, WI | $27,800 | $13/hr |
| 77 | Albuquerque, NM | $27,800 | $13/hr |
| 78 | Grand Rapids, MI | $27,600 | $13/hr |
| 79 | Detroit, MI | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 80 | Cincinnati, OH | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 81 | Kansas City, MO | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 82 | Lexington, KY | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 83 | Corpus Christi, TX | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 84 | Buffalo, NY | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 85 | Greensboro, NC | $27,400 | $13/hr |
| 86 | El Paso, TX | $27,200 | $13/hr |
| 87 | Cleveland, OH | $27,200 | $13/hr |
| 88 | St. Louis, MO | $27,200 | $13/hr |
| 89 | Winston-Salem, NC | $27,200 | $13/hr |
| 90 | Indianapolis, IN | $27,000 | $13/hr |
| 91 | Louisville, KY | $27,000 | $13/hr |
| 92 | Omaha, NE | $27,000 | $13/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $26,800 | $13/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $26,800 | $13/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $26,600 | $13/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $26,600 | $13/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $26,600 | $13/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $26,200 | $13/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $26,200 | $13/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $26,200 | $13/hr |
Does location actually decide Cashier pay?
Unlike remote-capable roles, a Cashier cannot separate where they earn from where they live. The $38,100 to $26,200 range across these metros is therefore a genuine relocation decision, not an arbitrage opportunity.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In San Francisco, $38,100 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $2,100 a year after housing. In Mobile, $26,200 against $850 leaves about $16,000. The bottom of the pay list beats the top once rent is subtracted — which is the whole reason to look past headline salary.
Why these metros and not others
What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland). Where retail employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.