Federal employment data provides useful context for independent bookstores, although it does not publish a standalone independent-bookstore employment census. The latest occupational estimate covers 70,110 jobs in the broader U.S. book-retailer and news-dealer industry in May 2023. Historical bookstore benchmarks use a different industry classification, so the figures below are best read as national reference points rather than an independent-only total.
Table of contents
- What the national bookstore benchmark measures
- Workforce size and role mix
- Management, buying, and business operations
- Customer-facing, food-service, and supervisory roles
- Technology, library, media, and administrative jobs
- Bookstore-industry pay by occupation
- Long-run employment benchmarks
What the national bookstore benchmark measures
The Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 industry table uses NAICS 459200, “Book Retailers and News Dealers.” It covers employers of all sizes in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas nationwide. That category is broader than independent bookstores: it can include non-independent establishments and should not be treated as an independent-only count. The table assigns all occupations a combined 100.00% of the industry’s employment.
The Census Bureau provides a separate establishment benchmark for NAICS 451211, “Book stores.” It counted 5,629 employer establishments in the United States in 2023. This is an establishment count, not a count of independent stores, employees, or locations owned by a particular type of operator. Together, the two sources provide scale and occupational detail while preserving the distinction between the categories. Sources: BLS May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Census Bureau profile for NAICS 451211.
Workforce size and role mix
The May 2023 BLS estimate places bookstore-industry employment at 70,110 jobs. Management occupations accounted for 4,470 jobs, or 6.38% of the industry. This means the national benchmark includes a measurable management layer alongside the retail, service, stocking, administrative, and specialist work that supports bookstore operations.
The occupational mix is not limited to people working directly at a sales counter. Food preparation and serving related occupations accounted for 7,240 jobs, or 10.32% of industry employment. That share is larger than the management share in this industry table and indicates that the broader bookstore-retailer classification includes substantial food-service employment. A bookstore with a café should therefore recognize that bookstore-industry statistics may capture café and serving roles as well as book-selling work.
Several additional groups show the range of work represented in the benchmark:
- Business and financial operations: 1,910 jobs, or 2.72% of employment.
- Buyers and purchasing agents: 1,020 jobs, or 1.46%.
- Stockers and order fillers: 1,100 jobs, or 1.57%.
- Sales managers: 390 jobs, or 0.55%.
These percentages are reported for May 2023 and refer to the full NAICS 459200 industry estimate. They are not estimates of the share of jobs at independent bookstores alone. Source: BLS May 2023 industry estimates.
Management, buying, and business operations
General and operations managers accounted for 3,740 jobs in May 2023, representing 5.34% of bookstore-industry employment. This occupation is the largest specifically identified management group in the supplied BLS benchmark. The broader management category reached 4,470 jobs, so general and operations managers made up the dominant identified portion of management employment in the table.
Business and financial operations occupations accounted for 1,910 jobs, or 2.72% of the total. These roles represent the business infrastructure behind retail activity, while buyers and purchasing agents accounted for another 1,020 jobs, or 1.46%. Buying employment is particularly relevant to a bookstore because inventory selection and replenishment are distinct from customer-facing sales work, even though the federal classification does not isolate independent-bookstore buyers.
Sales managers accounted for 390 jobs, or 0.55% of industry employment. The combination of general and operations managers, business and financial operations, buyers and purchasing agents, and sales managers shows four separately measured parts of bookstore administration and commercial activity. The figures should not be added into a new total here: the categories come from the BLS occupational table, and this article preserves them as reported groups rather than making unsupported calculations about overlap or organizational structure.
Customer-facing, food-service, and supervisory roles
Food preparation and serving related occupations accounted for 7,240 jobs in May 2023, or 10.32% of the broader bookstore-industry workforce. This is one of the largest quantified occupational groups in the supplied benchmark. It also explains why “bookstore employment” can describe more than traditional retail positions when the industry classification includes establishments or operations with food service.
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers accounted for 960 jobs, or 1.38% of employment. Their median hourly wage in the same BLS industry estimates was $18.17. The supervisor figure is reported separately from the broader food-preparation-and-serving group, so it should be read as a distinct occupational line in the table rather than assumed to describe every food-service worker.
The customer-facing and service picture is therefore mixed. Sales managers accounted for 390 jobs, while food preparation and serving related occupations accounted for 7,240. Stockers and order fillers added 1,100 jobs. These measures describe the occupational structure of the national book-retailer and news-dealer category, not a staffing template for every independent store. A small independent bookstore may combine several responsibilities in one position, but the federal table does not quantify that pattern.
Technology, library, media, and administrative jobs
Technology roles were present but comparatively small in the May 2023 benchmark. Computer and mathematical occupations accounted for 230 jobs, or 0.33% of bookstore-industry employment. The BLS table gave this group a median hourly wage of $31.40.
Educational instruction and library occupations accounted for 170 jobs, or 0.24%, with a median hourly wage of $19.32. Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations accounted for 450 jobs, or 0.64%, with a median hourly wage of $20.23. These categories may be relevant to stores that host educational programming, curate media-related work, or combine retail with cultural activities, but the data does not identify which specific bookstore functions produced those jobs.
Administrative and inventory support also appear in the industry estimate. Office clerks, general accounted for 410 jobs, or 0.58%, and had a median hourly wage of $18.17. Stockers and order fillers accounted for 1,100 jobs, or 1.57%, with a median hourly wage of $18.89. The stocker and order-filler figure is distinct from office-clerk employment and should not be treated as an administrative total.
Bookstore-industry pay by occupation
The BLS May 2023 industry table reports median hourly wages for the occupational groups it measures. The following comparison keeps the occupational labels, employment counts, shares, and measurement period together.
| Occupation or group | Jobs | Share of industry employment | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 70,110 | 100.00% | $18.75 |
| Management occupations | 4,470 | 6.38% | $24.02 |
| General and operations managers | 3,740 | 5.34% | $26.34 |
| Business and financial operations | 1,910 | 2.72% | $24.72 |
| Buyers and purchasing agents | 1,020 | 1.46% | $20.92 |
| Computer and mathematical | 230 | 0.33% | $31.40 |
| Educational instruction and library | 170 | 0.24% | $19.32 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 450 | 0.64% | $20.23 |
| Food preparation and serving related | 7,240 | 10.32% | $16.66 |
| First-line food-service supervisors | 960 | 1.38% | $18.17 |
| Office clerks, general | 410 | 0.58% | $18.17 |
| Stockers and order fillers | 1,100 | 1.57% | $18.89 |
| Sales managers | 390 | 0.55% | $22.41 |
The all-occupations median hourly wage was $18.75 in the May 2023 bookstore-industry estimates. The highest median hourly wage among the listed groups was $31.40 for computer and mathematical occupations, while food preparation and serving related occupations had a median of $16.66. These are industry-specific medians for the stated occupation groups, not guaranteed wages for an individual independent bookstore or a particular job posting. Source: BLS May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates.
Long-run employment benchmarks
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages provides older annual-average benchmarks for NAICS 451211 bookstores. These historical figures use the bookstore classification rather than the broader NAICS 459200 occupational table. They cover UI/UCFE-covered employment and should not be presented as an independent-bookstore series.
| Year | Average establishments | Average employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11,273 | 148,998 |
| 2004 | 10,941 | 146,209 |
| 2007 | 10,295 | 142,416 |
| 2009 | 9,584 | 121,445 |
| 2011 | 8,566 | 98,886 |
The historical benchmark reports annual averages for each named year. It shows 11,273 establishments and 148,998 employees in 2003, followed by 10,941 establishments and 146,209 employees in 2004. The 2007 table reports 10,295 establishments and 142,416 employees. The 2009 table reports 9,584 establishments and 121,445 employees, while the 2011 table reports 8,566 establishments and 98,886 employees.
The older QCEW source tables also contain total annual wages and annual wages per employee, but the supplied records do not provide usable dollar values for those fields. They are therefore omitted rather than reconstructed. The employment figures are historical benchmarks for the NAICS 451211 bookstore category, not forecasts and not a relabeled 2026 count. Sources: 2003 QCEW annual averages, 2004 QCEW annual averages, 2007 QCEW annual averages, 2009 QCEW annual averages, and 2011 QCEW annual averages.