RecruitLocalPros

Hiring a parts salesperson in Santa Ana, CA

Employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area pay parts salespersons a median of $41,600 a year, with the middle half of the market between $36,880 and $55,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 41-2022). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Santa Ana residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area pay?

Santa Ana residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $29,507 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $55,715 as the median of the 22 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 47%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole sales and related group, not this one role. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area the group covers 22 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers at $35,090 to sales engineers at $133,380 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with parts salespersons at $41,600 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 22 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Santa Ana residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a parts salesperson earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to parts salespersons by employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 41-2022.
25th percentile$36,880
Median$41,600
75th percentile$55,120

Half of parts salespersons in this area earn between $36,880 and $55,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $36,880 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 41-2022 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Santa Ana residents earn

$29,507

Median annual earnings of Santa Ana residents working in sales and related occupations, 14,494 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.
  • Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
  • Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
  • Receive and fill telephone orders for parts.
  • Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock.

Task statements for SOC 41-2022, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Inventory control system software, Inventory management systems, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 41-2022 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Santa Ana?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 41-2022.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 18% of Santa Ana adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Santa Ana aged 25 and over.

The average Santa Ana commute runs 24.8 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 8.7% of Santa Ana workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Santa Ana.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Orange County, retail trade employs 155,664 and turns over 9.3% a quarter, with 15,480 hires against 20,814 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $4,129 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 44-45.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about parts salespersons. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $41,600 median in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $8,320 to $12,480 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a parts salesperson in Santa Ana

What does it cost to hire a parts salesperson in Santa Ana?
Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $41,600 median wage in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $8,320 to $12,480 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a parts salesperson in Santa Ana look like?
Employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area pay parts salespersons a median of $41,600, with the middle half of the market between $36,880 and $55,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $36,880 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Santa Ana residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area pay?
Santa Ana residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $29,507 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $55,715 as the median of the 22 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 47%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Santa Ana?
This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 18% of Santa Ana adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.