Merchandiser Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 12,126 US job postings by 477 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for merchandisers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 12,126 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for merchandisers in US job postings is $19.00 an hour (3,320 postings from 164 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $17.00 to $20.70 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $19.08 an hour (529 postings).
- The skills that most set merchandiser postings apart are merchandising, self-motivated, work independently.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Merchandiser job postings in the US, October 2026
- $19.00/hr
- Median advertised pay (3,320 postings)
- $17.00–$20.70
- Middle 50% of postings
- $19.08/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 12,126
- US job postings from 477 employers
How much does a merchandiser make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $19.00 an hour, from 3,320 US job postings by 164 employers that state pay. That is about $40,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 3,320 US merchandiser job postings: median $40,000 a year ($19.00 an hour), middle half $35,000 to $44,000.
- Median: $40,000 ($19.00/hr)
- 25th percentile: $35,000
- 75th percentile: $44,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.3% |
| $20K–$30K | 5.7% |
| $30K–$40K | 47.9% |
| $40K–$50K | 34.4% |
| $50K–$60K | 7.3% |
| $60K–$70K | 1.0% |
| $70K–$80K | 1.1% |
| $80K–$90K | 1.0% |
| $90K–$100K | 0.6% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $19.00 | $17.00–$20.70 | 933 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $40,000 | $35K–$44K | 3,320 |
What is the starting salary for a merchandiser?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $19.08 an hour (529 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $19.08/hr | 529 |
| 2-4 years | withheld | 50 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 8 |
Highest-paying merchandiser jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandiser (general) | $18.88/hr | 2,802 | 139 |
Merchandiser pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $20.90/hr | $18.24–$22.86 | 164 | 5.7% |
| New York | $19.00/hr | $18.00–$21.00 | 137 | 4.1% |
| New Jersey | $18.50/hr | $17.04–$18.58 | 179 | 2.9% |
| Virginia | $18.07/hr | $16.00–$20.00 | 122 | 3.3% |
| Pennsylvania | $17.00/hr | $14.50–$18.50 | 224 | 5.3% |
| Texas | $16.50/hr | $14.25–$18.95 | 161 | 8.6% |
| Florida | $16.50/hr | $16.00–$18.50 | 108 | 3.6% |
Skills employers ask for in merchandiser job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 33% |
| Attention to detail | 19% |
| Organizational skills | 19% |
| Work independently | 17% |
| Customer service | 16% |
| Self-motivated | 12% |
| Interpersonal skills | 10% |
| Excel | 9% |
| Problem-solving | 9% |
| Organized | 8% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set merchandisers apart
- Self-motivated3.2× as often as in all postings · 12%
- Self-starter4× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Reliable4.5× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Organized3.1× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Detail oriented3.5× as often as in all postings · 5%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a merchandiser job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a merchandiser do?
Employers post these jobs as Retail Merchandiser, Merchandising Specialist, Part Time Merchandiser, Sales Merchandiser, Store Merchandiser and other titles. The largest specializations are Visual Merchandiser (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (27-1026.00). Its most important tasks:
- Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
- Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches.
- Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion.
- Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor.
- Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a merchandiser?
Among 345 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 1% say 0 years and 57% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 345 US merchandiser job postings: median 1 year, and 57% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 3% |
| 1 yr | 53% |
| 2 yrs | 21% |
| 3-4 yrs | 10% |
| 5-7 yrs | 9% |
| 8-9 yrs | 1% |
| 10+ yrs | 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Part-time 60%, Full-time 40% of the 661 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a merchandiser: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Merchandiser | 282 (59.1%) |
| Retail Merchandiser | 52 (10.9%) |
| Merchandising Specialist | 34 (7.1%) |
| Part Time Merchandiser | 33 (6.9%) |
| Sales Merchandiser | 23 (4.8%) |
| Store Merchandiser | 15 (3.1%) |
| Beverage Merchandiser | 14 (2.9%) |
| Reset Merchandiser | 13 (2.7%) |
| Field Merchandiser | 12 (2.5%) |
| Part-Time Merchandiser | 12 (2.5%) |
| Merchandiser Full Time | 12 (2.5%) |
| Full Time Merchandiser | 11 (2.3%) |
| Merchandising Supervisor | 11 (2.3%) |
| Grocery Merchandiser | 10 (2.1%) |
| Reset Specialist | 9 (1.9%) |
| Stocker | 8 (1.7%) |
| Part Time Retail Merchandiser | 8 (1.7%) |
| Retail Sales Merchandiser | 7 (1.5%) |
| Merchandise Coordinator | 7 (1.5%) |
| Beer Merchandiser | 6 (1.3%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Merchandiser job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Merchandiser | 1,569 | 52 | – | – | attention to detail, organizational skills, work independently |
Merchandiser compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandiser | $19.00/hr | 1 year | 12,126 | – |
| Custodian | $17.85/hr | 1 year | 27,601 | 15 |
| Retail Sales Associate | $17.24/hr | 1 year | 141,396 | 14 |
| Customer Service Representative | $19.00/hr | 1 year | 33,817 | 15 |
| Recreation Attendant | $17.13/hr | – | 2,760 | 15 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Custodian | 15 | $17.85/hr |
| Retail Sales Associate | 14 | $17.24/hr |
| Customer Service Representative | 15 | $19.00/hr |
| Recreation Attendant | 15 | $17.13/hr |
| Delivery Driver | 14 | $21.00/hr |
| Housekeeper | 14 | $17.75/hr |
Applying for merchandiser jobs?
- Merchandiser resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find merchandiser jobs: search open postings
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 18 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.