Real Estate Brokers Salary: $72,280 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 49,590 real estate brokers work nationally, and $72,280 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 1.1% annual growth; much hiring sits in real estate.
Real Estate Brokers: what the data shows
Common questions about real estate brokers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a real estate brokers?
Real Estate Brokers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 41-9021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 49,590 workers.
What does a real estate brokers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Performing Administrative Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a real estate brokers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $72,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $115,482 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,504 |
| 25th percentile | $70,778 |
| Median (50th) | $83,897 |
| 75th percentile | $131,280 |
| 90th percentile | $203,490 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Negotiation, and knowledge areas including Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Law and Government. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is real estate brokers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 5.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 11.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 49,590.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do real estate brokerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | 85,920 | 35.4% |
| Cross-industry | 49,590 | 20.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 49,300 | 20.3% |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 43,010 | 17.7% |
| Finance and Insurance | 3,160 | 1.3% |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities | 1,950 | 0.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Real Estate Brokers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 190,600 | $56,320 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Real Estate Brokers workforce.
Employment Over Time
49,590 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Real Estate Brokers grew from 19,540 in 2009 to 23,160 in 2025 (18.5%).
Historical employment for Real Estate Brokers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$72,280 Median pay (BLS national)
Real Estate Brokers earn $72,280 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Real Estate Brokers.
Salary distribution for Real Estate Brokers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
24,423 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 5.5%
25,755 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 11.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Real Estate Brokers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Real Estate Brokers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Real Estate Brokers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Real Estate Brokers.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Real Estate Brokers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Real Estate Brokers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 7,250 employees, $112,940 avg wage
- GA: 4,160 employees, N/A avg wage
- TX: 3,370 employees, $75,750 avg wage
- OR: 1,620 employees, $76,680 avg wage
- IL: 1,620 employees, $75,150 avg wage
- MO: 1,580 employees, $63,180 avg wage
- VA: 1,580 employees, $68,980 avg wage
- SC: 1,490 employees, $88,830 avg wage
- NC: 1,330 employees, $81,530 avg wage
- PA: 1,100 employees, $103,520 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Real Estate Brokers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,300 employees, $75,730 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 990 employees, $74,420 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 980 employees, $73,720 avg wage
- Richmond, VA: 660 employees, $57,920 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 570 employees, $73,540 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 530 employees, $85,050 avg wage
- Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC: 510 employees, N/A avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 440 employees, $99,540 avg wage
- Kansas City, MO-KS: 370 employees, N/A avg wage
- Springfield, MO: 330 employees, $53,740 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Real Estate Brokers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Real Estate Brokers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Real Estate Brokers is about 49,590 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Real Estate Brokers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Real Estate Brokers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Real Estate Brokers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Real Estate Brokers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Real Estate Brokers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Real Estate Brokers workers.
Education level distribution for Real Estate Brokers.
Skills
Real Estate Brokers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning.
Required skills for Real Estate Brokers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Real Estate Brokers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Real Estate Brokers include Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Law and Government, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Real Estate Brokers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Real Estate Brokers include Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Real Estate Brokers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Real Estate Brokers.
Daily Activities
Real Estate Brokers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Real Estate Brokers.
About
Real Estate Brokers
Real Estate Brokers earn $72,280 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
41-9021 - Real Estate Brokers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Real Estate Brokers reports an average salary of $115,482, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 49,590 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.