How much do real estate agents make?

Real Estate Agent salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Real Estate Sales Agents (SOC 41-9022) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Real estate agents in the US earned a median of $52,830 a year ($25.40 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $40,040 to $82,020.

Median annual pay: $52,830; Mean $69,510
Median hourly pay: $25.40; Mean $33.42
Typical range (10th–90th): $33.0K–$124K; $32,970 to $123,590
US jobs: 193,370; +1.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a real estate agent: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: District of Columbia

Real Estate Agent pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$32,970
25th percentile$40,040
Median$52,830
75th percentile$82,020
90th percentile$123,590

Half of all real estate agents earned more than $52,830 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $32,970; the top 10% made over $123,590. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $40,040 to $82,020.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$32,970	$15.85	$2,748
25th	$40,040	$19.25	$3,337
Median (50th)	$52,830	$25.40	$4,403
75th	$82,020	$39.43	$6,835
90th	$123,590	$59.42	$10,299
Mean (average)	$69,510	$33.42	$5,793

Real Estate Agent salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for real estate agents by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $123,770
2. New York $102,990
3. New Jersey $99,990
4. Alaska $89,170
5. Nevada $79,990

Lowest-paying states

48. Arkansas $38,180
47. Mississippi $39,550
46. Kansas $39,770
45. Idaho $39,820
44. Missouri $43,960

Best after cost of living: District of Columbia. Its median of $123,770 is worth about $112,620 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$60,890	14	$68,552	11	$29.28	1,580	0.75
Alaska	$89,170	4	$87,115	4	$42.87	170	0.52
Arizona	$58,780	18	$58,385	23	$28.26	5,610	1.73
Arkansas	$38,180	48	$43,917	46	$18.36	1,640	1.26
California	$57,560	23	$51,987	30	$27.68	17,500	0.96
Colorado	$63,670	12	$61,784	15	$30.61	6,120	2.13
Connecticut	$46,770	36	$45,140	44	$22.49	—	—
Delaware	$47,180	34	$47,271	40	$22.68	900	1.85
District of Columbia	$123,770	1	$112,620	1	$59.51	590	0.84
Florida	$49,310	31	$47,682	39	$23.71	26,790	2.70
Georgia	$46,730	37	$48,529	37	$22.47	9,940	2.03
Hawaii	$46,220	41	$42,037	47	$22.22	690	1.10
Idaho	$39,820	45	$41,699	48	$19.15	1,170	1.36
Illinois	$59,220	16	$59,245	20	$28.47	6,030	0.99
Indiana	$46,880	35	$50,231	34	$22.54	3,680	1.15
Iowa	—	—	—	—	—	680	0.43
Kansas	$39,770	46	$44,156	45	$19.12	1,450	1.01
Kentucky	$58,610	19	$65,007	13	$28.18	1,120	0.56
Louisiana	$45,850	42	$51,980	31	$22.04	1,940	1.00
Maine	$56,930	24	$58,660	22	$27.37	740	1.15
Maryland	$52,630	27	$50,143	35	$25.31	2,940	1.06
Massachusetts	—	—	—	—	—	4,530	1.24
Michigan	$57,880	21	$60,156	18	$27.83	2,210	0.50
Minnesota	$46,410	38	$47,059	42	$22.31	2,530	0.86
Mississippi	$39,550	47	$45,484	43	$19.02	670	0.58
Missouri	$43,960	44	$48,405	38	$21.14	1,590	0.54
Montana	$79,100	7	$83,575	5	$38.03	370	0.72
Nebraska	$47,240	33	$52,429	29	$22.71	1,400	1.37
Nevada	$79,990	5	$80,007	8	$38.46	1,490	0.96
New Hampshire	$57,620	22	$55,316	25	$27.70	240	0.34
New Jersey	$99,990	3	$91,898	3	$48.07	—	—
New Mexico	$76,170	8	$82,603	7	$36.62	550	0.63
New York	$102,990	2	$95,431	2	$49.51	8,660	0.89
North Carolina	$51,240	28	$54,322	27	$24.64	7,960	1.61
North Dakota	$73,920	9	$83,094	6	$35.54	—	—
Ohio	$46,240	40	$49,842	36	$22.23	5,130	0.92
Oklahoma	$47,980	32	$54,620	26	$23.07	3,710	2.17
Oregon	$61,610	13	$59,607	19	$29.62	1,940	0.99
Pennsylvania	$56,040	26	$57,435	24	$26.94	5,510	0.91
Rhode Island	$60,310	15	$58,966	21	$28.99	—	—
South Carolina	$56,580	25	$60,353	17	$27.20	4,930	2.14
South Dakota	$65,170	10	$73,567	10	$31.33	640	1.41
Tennessee	$46,250	39	$50,343	33	$22.24	2,360	0.72
Texas	$45,740	43	$47,127	41	$21.99	22,250	1.58
Utah	$50,720	29	$51,303	32	$24.38	4,240	2.44
Vermont	—	—	—	—	—	70	0.22
Virginia	$63,980	11	$63,281	14	$30.76	5,750	1.40
Washington	$79,130	6	$73,944	9	$38.04	5,150	1.45
West Virginia	$59,050	17	$65,980	12	$28.39	370	0.53
Wisconsin	$58,120	20	$61,767	16	$27.94	5,680	1.93
Wyoming	$49,990	30	$53,932	28	$24.03	300	1.05

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (3 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for real estate agents

282 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$115,820	$107,456	—
Midland, TX	$109,760	$114,592	340
Reno, NV	$106,190	$105,124	380
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$103,550	$91,993	8,320
Las Cruces, NM	$100,280	$111,160	70
Walla Walla, WA	$97,470	$98,935	50
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$96,170	$87,092	—
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$93,910	$85,824	—
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$93,750	$97,815	120
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$91,690	$82,952	530

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	9,160	$47,080	$41,242
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	8,320	$103,550	$91,993
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,340	$47,020	$41,403
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	6,960	$46,730	$46,703
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	6,950	$44,580	$43,244
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	5,320	$49,250	$49,935
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	5,100	$61,790	$59,646
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	4,470	$62,630	$61,754
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	4,210	$48,540	$48,112
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	3,930	$60,890	$58,936

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves real estate agent pay: employers and settings

Start with what the numbers cover. Our figures come from the BLS OEWS survey, which counts only wage and salary workers, and BLS projections show 54.3% of real estate sales agents are self-employed. So these figures, a 10th percentile of $32,970, a median of $52,830 and a 90th percentile of $123,590, describe agents on a payroll, not the many commission-only independent contractors whose income can be far lower or higher.

For most agents, pay is a share of each commission after the brokerage's split, so the biggest factors are how many deals you close and the price of the homes. New agents often have months with no closings while they build a client list.

Salaried roles outside brokerages pay more in our data. Federal agencies pay a median of $97,470 and local government $85,290 while corporate management offices pay $81,970 and real estate firms themselves pay $49,850. Salaried jobs like these are a small share of the field.

Expensive housing markets lift pay. The District of Columbia has the top median at $123,770, followed by New York at $102,990, New Jersey at $99,990, Alaska at $89,170, and Nevada at $79,990. Kansas, Mississippi and Arkansas are lowest, with Arkansas at $38,180.

Where real estate agents work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Real Estate	81.5%	$49,850
Residential Building Construction	6.3%	$52,900
Federal Executive Branch	1.7%	$97,470
Management of Companies and Enterprises	1.2%	$81,970
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	1%	$77,870
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	0.9%	$85,290

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	186,440	$51,270
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	3,320	$97,470
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,870	$77,870
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,750	$84,810

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Real Estate Agent pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$52.8K $43.4K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $43,370 in 2015 to $52,830 in 2025, up 22% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $58,628 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 10% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What real estate agents do

A real estate agent represents people who are buying, selling or renting property, and earns most of their income as a share of the commission when a deal closes. On the seller's side, the agent prices the home against recent sales nearby, suggests repairs or staging, lists it on the multiple listing service, markets it and holds open houses. On the buyer's side, the agent finds homes that fit the budget, books showings, writes the offer and negotiates.

After an offer is accepted, the agent keeps the deal on track with the lender, home inspector, appraiser and title or escrow company until closing. Agents must work under a licensed real estate broker, usually as independent contractors rather than employees. Most sell homes; a smaller group handles commercial, land or rental property. The office is a base, but much of the week is spent in cars and other people's houses, and evenings and weekends are when many clients are free. A realtor is an agent who also belongs to the National Association of REALTORS.

A typical day

Call, text and meet people who might buy or sell, and follow up on old leads
Pull recent sales to suggest a listing price or a fair offer
Photograph, list and advertise homes, and run open houses
Drive buyers to showings and point out issues worth an inspection
Write offers, counteroffers and contract addenda on state-approved forms
Track inspection, appraisal and loan deadlines with lenders and title companies
Keep up with zoning, fair housing and disclosure rules and finish required license courses

Also called: realtor, real estate agents, realtors, real estate broker, real estate, real estate salesperson, realtor associate.

How to become a real estate agent

Full guide

To become a real estate agent, you complete your state's required prelicensing courses, pass the state licensing exam, and activate your license under a sponsoring broker. Most people finish in about 3 to 6 months, and no college degree is required.

Typical time: 3-6 months; Fastest: About 2 months
Minimum education: High school diploma or equivalent plus state-approved prelicensing courses
License: Required in all 50 states and DC
Typical training cost: $2.9K–$3.1K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a real estate agent: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 3-6 months; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $2.9K–$3.1K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $52,830; $1,850 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 5–6%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($1,850 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 1.5–1.7 years after training ends (3-6 months in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for real estate agents

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +1.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 427,000; 434,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 32,600; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 54.3%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects real estate sales agent jobs to grow from 427,000 to 434,500 between 2025 and 2035, just 1.7%, well under the 3.5% average for all occupations. Even so, about 32,600 openings a year are expected, mostly because many agents leave the field or retire. Demand follows the housing market. When interest rates rise or the economy slows, fewer homes change hands and agents' workloads shrink; high prices and tighter lending can also keep would-be buyers renting. In good markets, more people move and agents are busier.

Related careers and their pay

Loan Officer$76,690
Financial Advisor$105,070
Insurance Agent$62,280
Financial Analyst$102,740
Real Estate Brokers$73,220

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Real Estate Agent salary FAQ

How much do real estate agents make an hour?

The median hourly wage for real estate agents was $25.40 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $15.85 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $59.42. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays real estate agents the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for real estate agents, $123,770 a year, followed by New York ($102,990) and New Jersey ($99,990). After adjusting for each state's price level, District of Columbia comes out ahead at about $112,620 in national-average dollars.

Do real estate agents make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of real estate agents earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $52,830, and the top 10% earn more than $123,590. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between a realtor and a real estate agent?

A real estate agent is anyone holding a state salesperson license. A REALTOR is a licensed agent, broker or appraiser who has joined a local association that belongs to the National Association of REALTORS and pays dues. Members agree to follow NAR's Code of Ethics and complete ethics training of at least 2.5 hours on joining and every three years. Many agents join because local associations often run the MLS.

Do real estate agents get paid a salary?

Most do not. Agents usually work as independent contractors for a broker and are paid a share of the commission when a sale closes, after the brokerage takes its split. BLS projections show 54.3% of sales agents are self-employed. A smaller group earns a salary, for example at builders, property managers, government agencies or corporate real estate departments. Expect to pay your own costs such as dues, marketing and car expenses.

What is the difference between a real estate agent and a broker?

A broker holds a higher license that allows them to run a real estate business and supervise agents. Every sales agent must work under a broker. According to BLS, most states require at least 2 years of experience as a licensed agent, plus additional training, before you can get a broker's license, and states usually give a separate broker exam. Some brokers own firms; others work as associate brokers inside one.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 41-9022
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (41-9022.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Sales Agent: Become Licensed, Texas Real Estate Commission · checked October 28, 2026
Salesperson Examination Requirements, California Department of Real Estate · checked October 28, 2026
Fees, California Department of Real Estate · checked October 28, 2026
How to Become a REALTOR, National Association of REALTORS · checked October 28, 2026
Code of Ethics Training Requirements (New Members), National Association of REALTORS · checked October 28, 2026
National Membership Dues, National Association of REALTORS · checked October 28, 2026
Code of Ethics Training Requirements (Existing Members), National Association of REALTORS · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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