Best US Cities for Retail Managers
Top US cities for Retail Managers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $63,100 | 1.45× | +$15,100 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $61,600 | 1.30× | +$13,600 |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $59,800 | 1.35× | +$11,800 |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $58,800 | 1.32× | +$10,800 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $58,700 | 1.22× | +$10,700 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $58,400 | 1.21× | +$10,400 |
| 7 | Irvine, CA | $58,100 | 1.30× | +$10,100 |
| 8 | Yonkers, NY | $58,000 | 1.20× | +$10,000 |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA | $57,200 | 1.18× | +$9,200 |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $57,200 | 1.18× | +$9,200 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $63,100 | $30/hr |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $61,600 | $30/hr |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $59,800 | $29/hr |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $58,800 | $28/hr |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $58,700 | $28/hr |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $58,400 | $28/hr |
| 7 | Irvine, CA | $58,100 | $28/hr |
| 8 | Yonkers, NY | $58,000 | $28/hr |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA | $57,200 | $28/hr |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $57,200 | $28/hr |
| 11 | Scottsdale, AZ | $57,200 | $28/hr |
| 12 | Boston, MA | $55,400 | $27/hr |
| 13 | Miami, FL | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 14 | Anchorage, AK | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 15 | Seattle, WA | $54,000 | $26/hr |
| 16 | Chesapeake, VA | $53,300 | $26/hr |
| 17 | Chula Vista, CA | $53,000 | $25/hr |
| 18 | Stockton, CA | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 19 | Hialeah, FL | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 20 | Frisco, TX | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 21 | Minneapolis, MN | $52,300 | $25/hr |
| 22 | Phoenix, AZ | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 23 | Tampa, FL | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 24 | Henderson, NV | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 25 | Reno, NV | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 26 | Gilbert, AZ | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 27 | Charleston, SC | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 28 | Portland, OR | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 29 | Newark, NJ | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 30 | Sacramento, CA | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 31 | Riverside, CA | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 32 | Orlando, FL | $51,200 | $25/hr |
| 33 | Virginia Beach, VA | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 34 | Denver, CO | $50,700 | $24/hr |
| 35 | Colorado Springs, CO | $50,600 | $24/hr |
| 36 | St. Petersburg, FL | $50,600 | $24/hr |
| 37 | Chicago, IL | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 38 | Austin, TX | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 39 | Baltimore, MD | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 40 | Aurora, CO | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 41 | Tucson, AZ | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 42 | Glendale, AZ | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 43 | Garland, TX | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 44 | Las Vegas, NV | $49,300 | $24/hr |
| 45 | Plano, TX | $49,300 | $24/hr |
| 46 | Chandler, AZ | $49,300 | $24/hr |
| 47 | New Orleans, LA | $48,800 | $23/hr |
| 48 | Philadelphia, PA | $48,700 | $23/hr |
| 49 | Atlanta, GA | $48,700 | $23/hr |
| 50 | Salt Lake City, UT | $48,700 | $23/hr |
| 51 | San Antonio, TX | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 52 | Columbus, OH | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 53 | Wilmington, DE | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 54 | Raleigh, NC | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 55 | St. Paul, MN | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 56 | North Las Vegas, NV | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 57 | Boise, ID | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 58 | Fresno, CA | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 59 | Knoxville, TN | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 60 | Worcester, MA | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 61 | Dallas, TX | $47,700 | $23/hr |
| 62 | Nashville, TN | $47,700 | $23/hr |
| 63 | Bakersfield, CA | $47,700 | $23/hr |
| 64 | Madison, WI | $47,700 | $23/hr |
| 65 | Norfolk, VA | $47,300 | $23/hr |
| 66 | Jacksonville, FL | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 67 | Charlotte, NC | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 68 | Memphis, TN | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 69 | Mesa, AZ | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 70 | Houston, TX | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 71 | Fort Worth, TX | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 72 | Spokane, WA | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 73 | Pittsburgh, PA | $46,300 | $22/hr |
| 74 | Arlington, TX | $46,300 | $22/hr |
| 75 | Tallahassee, FL | $46,300 | $22/hr |
| 76 | Milwaukee, WI | $46,000 | $22/hr |
| 77 | Albuquerque, NM | $46,000 | $22/hr |
| 78 | Grand Rapids, MI | $45,600 | $22/hr |
| 79 | Detroit, MI | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 80 | Cincinnati, OH | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 81 | Kansas City, MO | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 82 | Lexington, KY | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 83 | Corpus Christi, TX | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 84 | Buffalo, NY | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 85 | Greensboro, NC | $45,300 | $22/hr |
| 86 | El Paso, TX | $45,000 | $22/hr |
| 87 | Cleveland, OH | $45,000 | $22/hr |
| 88 | St. Louis, MO | $45,000 | $22/hr |
| 89 | Winston-Salem, NC | $45,000 | $22/hr |
| 90 | Indianapolis, IN | $44,600 | $21/hr |
| 91 | Louisville, KY | $44,600 | $21/hr |
| 92 | Omaha, NE | $44,600 | $21/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $44,300 | $21/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $44,300 | $21/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $44,000 | $21/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $44,000 | $21/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $44,000 | $21/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $43,300 | $21/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $43,300 | $21/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $43,300 | $21/hr |
Does location actually decide Retail Manager pay?
This is a career where location is not negotiable — the work has to be done on site. That makes the 46% gap across these metros consequential in a way it is not for desk-based occupations: capturing the top of this list means moving to it.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In San Francisco, $63,100 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $27,100 a year after housing. In Mobile, $43,300 against $850 leaves about $33,100. 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
The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. 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). Depth of demand for retail work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.
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.