TL;DR

About 49,590 real estate brokers nationally earn a mean of $115,482. Projections imply about 1.1% annual growth; CA accounts for about 4,330 jobs in our geographic extract.

Key Statistics

49,590
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$115,482
Average Salary

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 percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$46,504
25th percentile$70,778
Median (50th)$83,897
75th percentile$131,280
90th percentile$203,490

What education do you need?

For Real Estate Brokers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

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:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Real Estate85,92035.4%
Cross-industry49,59020.4%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only49,30020.3%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing43,01017.7%
Finance and Insurance3,1601.3%
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities1,9500.8%

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:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Real Estate Sales Agents190,600$56,320

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Real Estate Brokers workforce.

Employment Over Time

49,590 Workforce in 2023

The Real Estate Brokers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Real Estate Brokers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$115,482 Average Wage

In 2023, Real Estate Brokers earned an average of $115,482.

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.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 4,330 employees, $106,057 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Real Estate Brokers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,370 employees, $104,303 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,310 employees, $99,239 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 260 employees, $144,084 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 190 employees, $125,722 avg wage
  • Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 150 employees, $102,660 avg wage
  • Vallejo MSA: 50 employees, $105,513 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 workforce of Real Estate Brokers in 2023 was 49,590 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

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

The average yearly wage for Real Estate Brokers was $115,482 in 2023.

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.