Retail Assistant Salary in Wales
Official ONS earnings for Wales, covering 45,000 jobs.
Median salary — Wales
£14,568
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 11% change on the previous year
Mean
£16,046
Jobs measured
45,000
What a typical retail assistant takes home
On the median of £14,568, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£1,167
Take-home a year
£14,009
Income Tax
£400
National Insurance
£160
What most retail assistants actually earn
Half of retail assistants in Wales earn between £10,164 and £21,866. Earning above £21,866 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers” group in Wales.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of retail assistants earn less than this.
How Wales ranks for retail assistant pay
6th
of 11 GB regions with a published figure
London tops the table on £15,417 and Scotland sits at the bottom on £13,717. Wales is £849 short of the top.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Sales and retail assistants
- SOC 2020 code
- 7111
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Retail Assistant salary FAQs
What is the average Retail Assistant salary in Wales?
The median is £14,568 a year and the mean is £16,046, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a retail assistant earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £12.62 excluding overtime, or £13.22 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for Wales.
What is a good Retail Assistant salary?
Half of retail assistants earn between £10,164 and £21,866. Anything above £21,866 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a retail assistant?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of retail assistants earn under £5,849 and the lowest quarter under £10,164 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do retail assistants in Wales earn more than the UK average?
The median in Wales is £14,568 against £14,491 across the UK, 0.5% higher, which places it 6th highest of the 11 GB regions with a precise estimate.
Has retail assistant pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +11.0% for this occupation in Wales. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many retail assistants are there in Wales?
ASHE counts around 45,000 employee jobs in “Sales and retail assistants” (SOC 7111) in Wales. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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