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Cashier

$31,190
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Ring up purchases, handle cash and cards, and help customers at registers in stores and restaurants.

Where you work

Stores, restaurants, and gas stations

The hours

Shifts including evenings and weekends

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$31,190
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~542,600
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-10%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
3,157,200
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training, paid from day one.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Basic mathCustomer serviceHonestySpeed

The honest take

Shrinking as self-checkout spreads, but constant turnover means openings are almost always around.

Standard Occupational Classification 41-2011. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.