2,250+ Retail Jobs in Chicago, IL

Observed BLS data for Chicago retail salespersons shows a $35,820 median, $39,370 mean, and $48,580 90th-percentile annual wage in 2025. Higher-paying supervisory retail roles sit on a different track: first-line supervisors of retail sales workers had a $48,900 median and $79,460 90th-percentile wage. Proxy posting data is higher and more mixed, with hourly postings centering on about $16 to $19 / hour and annual posting ranges centering on about $54k to $72k, which likely reflects a blend of frontline, specialty, and management jobs rather than one typical retail job.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 1,965 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $33,332 at the 25th percentile, $36,400 at the median and $41,517 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of October 16, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

Showing 30 of 250+ openings.

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What our analysts see this month

Balanced market | next 3-6 months

Chicago retail is still a workable market, but it is not an easy one right now: metro unemployment was 5.2% in August 2026, up from 4.2% a year earlier. At the same time, the Chicago metro still added 13,400 nonfarm jobs over the year through August, and Illinois retail openings were up 19.4% year over year even as retail employment in the state stayed essentially flat. That combination usually means openings exist, but employers are filling them selectively and not bidding up most frontline roles aggressively. For job seekers, the best odds are in on-site store roles and supervisor tracks rather than waiting for flexible remote options, because about 75% of sampled postings are entry level and about 95% or more are on-site.

Best positioned: Candidates who can start on-site quickly and show inventory management, cash handling, merchandising, and customer service have the best odds right now.

Main caution: Do not anchor on the highest posted salary bands alone: Chicago retail salesperson median pay was $35,820 in 2025, while broader local posting ranges centered on about $54k to $72k likely include store leadership and other higher-paid roles.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 2,331 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Dollar General: 272 open roles
2. Macy's, Inc.: 93 open roles
3. AutoZone, Inc.: 79 open roles
4. Five Below, Inc.: 47 open roles
5. EssilorLuxottica: 44 open roles
6. Bath & Body Works: 38 open roles
7. Target Corp: 36 open roles
8. JCPenney Co.: 35 open roles
9. Lids: 32 open roles
10. The TJX Companies, Inc.: 30 open roles

Where the openings are

• Chicago: 521
• Aurora: 137
• Schaumburg: 116
• Skokie: 76
• Orland Park: 72
• Oak Brook: 55
• Naperville: 51
• Merrillville: 49

Work arrangement

on-site 2,208 (99%), hybrid 13 (1%), remote 3 (0%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunity is spread across a long tail of employers rather than one dominant brand. Over the last 90 days, the market showed more than 3,300 postings across more than 650 companies, and the employer base was fragmented; Dollar General was the clearest repeat name with more than 250 postings in the sample. That matters because this is a market where broad application volume and local availability usually beat waiting for one marquee retailer to open a perfect job. Most openings cluster in standard brick-and-mortar store work. In the sampled postings, retail accounted for about 80% of activity, retail apparel and fashion about 10%, and department, clothing, and shoe stores about 5%. The work is overwhelmingly on-site—about 95% or more on-site, with less than 5% hybrid and less than 5% remote—and about 75% of openings sit at the entry level. The more interesting pocket is the mix of new store footprints and specialty retail churn around the metro. Barnes & Noble's late-August downtown opening, new State Street activity from Mood Fabrics and Rocky Mountain Chocolate, and a Toys R Us comeback in Lombard suggest live demand around store launch, merchandising, and opening/closing execution, even as some legacy storefronts disappear.

• High-volume chain store roles (high): Best for fast applications and broad access. These roles benefit candidates who can show schedule flexibility, inventory basics, and cash accuracy.
• Store leadership and supervisor-track roles (moderate): Smaller share of openings, but materially better pay for candidates who can prove staffing, coaching, shrink control, and store execution.
• Specialty retail and store-opening activity (moderate): Openings tied to new footprints or refreshed locations can reward stronger merchandising, customer engagement, and launch-readiness skills.

Where to focus: Prioritize on-site chain and specialty-store openings where you can show inventory accuracy, merchandising, and customer service from day one.

Roles worth searching next

• Customer service representative: The jump is natural if your retail strength is de-escalation, issue handling, and repeat-customer support rather than floor selling.
• Inventory clerk or stock control coordinator: Inventory management is the strongest local retail hard-skill signal, so stock-focused candidates can pivot toward operations-oriented roles.
• Patient access representative or medical front desk: It uses customer-facing discipline and process accuracy, and education and health services employment was up 1.9% year over year nationally in September 2026.
• Asset protection or loss prevention specialist: Local retail postings already ask for loss prevention, and sector policy attention around organized retail crime supports the relevance of that path.

What postings ask for

• Inventory management (differentiator | immediate): It was the most-requested hard skill in sampled Chicago retail postings at about 35%, making it one of the clearest ways to stand out beyond generic customer service claims. Who: Entry-level candidates, stock-heavy applicants, and career switchers.
• Cash handling (table_stakes | immediate): Cash handling showed up in about 25% of local postings, which makes it a common screening item for frontline retail and checkout-heavy roles. Who: Anyone targeting cashier, associate, convenience, or big-box roles.
• Merchandising (table_stakes | immediate): Merchandising appeared in about 25% of local postings and becomes especially useful in store resets, seasonal floorsets, and new-store openings. Who: Retail associates who want to move into lead, department, or specialty-store work.
• Visual merchandising (differentiator | near-term): Visual merchandising showed up in about 15% of postings, so it is not universal but can separate you in apparel, bookstore, and specialty formats. Who: Candidates aiming for apparel, lifestyle, and display-heavy stores.
• Loss prevention and shrink awareness (differentiator | near-term): Loss prevention appeared in about 15% of local postings, and organized retail crime remains a national policy priority for the sector. Who: Mid-career retail workers, key holders, and candidates seeking asset-protection-adjacent roles.
• Cash register operation and AI-enabled POS comfort (table_stakes | immediate): Cash register operation appeared in about 15% of local postings, and newer POS systems are evolving into more intelligent tools for stock insight and personalized offers. Who: Frontline store applicants and career switchers with non-retail service backgrounds.

Questions about this market

What do Retail roles pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Observed BLS data for Chicago retail salespersons shows a $35,820 median, $39,370 mean, and $48,580 90th-percentile annual wage in 2025. Higher-paying supervisory retail roles sit on a different track: first-line supervisors of retail sales workers had a $48,900 median and $79,460 90th-percentile wage. Proxy posting data is higher and more mixed, with hourly postings centering on about $16 to $19 / hour and annual posting ranges centering on about $54k to $72k, which likely reflects a blend of frontline, specialty, and management jobs rather than one typical retail job. For frontline retail, this is moderate pay, not premium pay. You can get in without a high formal education bar, but the money usually improves only when you move into supervision or specialty selling.

Where is demand for Retail roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN concentrated?

Real opportunity is spread across a long tail of employers rather than one dominant brand. Over the last 90 days, the market showed more than 3,300 postings across more than 650 companies, and the employer base was fragmented; Dollar General was the clearest repeat name with more than 250 postings in the sample. That matters because this is a market where broad application volume and local availability usually beat waiting for one marquee retailer to open a perfect job. Most openings cluster in standard brick-and-mortar store work. In the sampled postings, retail accounted for about 80% of activity, retail apparel and fashion about 10%, and department, clothing, and shoe stores about 5%. The work is overwhelmingly on-site—about 95% or more on-site, with less than 5% hybrid and less than 5% remote—and about 75% of openings sit at the entry level. The more interesting pocket is the mix of new store footprints and specialty retail churn around the metro. Barnes & Noble's late-August downtown opening, new State Street activity from Mood Fabrics and Rocky Mountain Chocolate, and a Toys R Us comeback in Lombard suggest live demand around store launch, merchandising, and opening/closing execution, even as some legacy storefronts disappear.

Which employers are hiring the most Retail talent in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Recent postings show the most activity from Dollar General (250 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

Browse Illinois openings by job title

• General Manager: 152 open roles statewide
• Senior Manager: 77 open roles statewide

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Other roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

• Software, IT & Cybersecurity
• Legal, Compliance & Risk
• Education & Training
• Finance & Accounting
• Personal Care & Fitness
• Protective Services & Public Safety
• Healthcare Support & Healthcare Administration
• Human Resources, Recruiting & People Operations

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