Hiring a retail salesperson in Grand Rapids, MI

Do Grand Rapids residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay?

Grand Rapids residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $39,167 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $55,800 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 30%, 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from cashiers at $29,880 to sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products at $113,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with retail salespersons at $34,800 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 19 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 Grand Rapids residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Grand Rapids?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 41-2031.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 40.1% of Grand Rapids adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Grand Rapids aged 25 and over.

The average Grand Rapids commute runs 19.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 12.3% of Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids.

How big is this industry in Kent County?

Retail trade in Kent County employs 34,655 people across 1,860 establishments, at an average wage of $803 a week. BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 Q1, private ownership, NAICS 44-45.

Michigan does not release to the Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, so this county carries QCEW instead. QCEW counts jobs and payroll and publishes no hires, separations or turnover rate, so there is no local churn figure for Kent County and none is implied here. The employment count tells you how deep the local employer base is: spread across many employers, which means candidates have somewhere else to go and counteroffers are common.

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 $34,800 median in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $6,960 to $10,440 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 retail salesperson in Grand Rapids

What does it cost to hire a retail salesperson in Grand Rapids?

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 $34,800 median wage in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $6,960 to $10,440 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a retail salesperson in Grand Rapids look like?

Employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay retail salespersons a median of $34,800, with the middle half of the market between $28,970 and $38,490 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $28,970 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Grand Rapids residents in sales and related work earn more than employers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area pay?

Grand Rapids residents working in sales and related occupations earn a median of $39,167 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $55,800 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 30%. 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 Grand Rapids?

This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 40.1% of Grand Rapids adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Related

• Hiring Retail Salespersons: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Grand Rapids
• Every Michigan city we cover

Grand Rapids is the 2nd largest of 2 Michigan cities in this dataset.