Although many furniture salespeople’s No. 1 priority on the job is to persuade shoppers to take home a new bedroom set, they’re more than just pitchmen. Trained furniture sales staff are knowledgeable about the manufacturing processes involved in the lines they sell, the advantages and disadvantages of materials, and the care and warranty specifics for each furnishing they sell.

Average Salary

Furniture salesmen commonly work on a commission basis, so their earnings may vary significantly by the amount of customers their store receives, the average price of items they sell and their salesmanship ability. Because of this, reported earnings for furniture sales representatives vary greatly. Furniture sales associates earn average salaries of $25,943 as of January 2011, according to PayScale. Indeed.com reports a much different figure, with average furniture sales jobs earning $45,000 annually.

Salaries by Region

Although furniture salespeople's salaries vary slightly by the part of the country in which they work, there is only slight variation in the industry’s salaries around the country. Furniture sales workers who work in stores in New York receive the highest average annual salaries, bringing home $44,196 each year as of January 2011, according to Salary Expert. In Indianapolis, the city where sales staff earn the least, the average annual wage is $36,442. Salaries ranged from $40,131 to $42,376 in six of the 10 cities Salary Expert surveyed.

Comparison to All Sales Salaries

Sales representatives who work in furniture stores tend to make much more money than the average retail sales worker. Retail sales positions pay an average annual salary of $23,463 each year as of January 2011, according to Salary.com. The midpoint of the salaries reported by Salary Expert, $41,253.50, is 176 percent of the average earnings for all retail sales workers.

Comparison to all Home Furnishing Industry Salaries

Sales staff in the furniture industry earn average wages for their sector. Interior designers employed by furniture stores earn some of the smallest salaries in the field -- $32,196 as of January 2011 -- according to PayScale, while sales managers and salesmen earn salaries in the low $40,000s. Operations managers or store managers earn salaries between $47,048 and $62,288 each year.