Start with the answer
Retail Salespersons pay in Omaha, NE-IA and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Retail Salespersons is $33,260 per year in Omaha, NE-IA. It is $44,220 per year in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Omaha, NE-IA is 24.8% below San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 41-2031 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 12,080 wage and salary jobs in Omaha, NE-IA and 18,340 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
