Real Estate Sales Agents Salary: $56,320 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 190,600 real estate sales agents work nationally, and $56,320 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.9% annual growth.
Real Estate Sales Agents: what the data shows
Common questions about real estate sales agents careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a real estate sales agents?
Real Estate Sales Agents is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 41-9022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 190,600 workers.
What does a real estate sales agents do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a real estate sales agents make?
BLS national median annual wage: $56,320 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $77,936 — 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 | $39,755 |
| 25th percentile | $47,874 |
| Median (50th) | $63,825 |
| 75th percentile | $99,194 |
| 90th percentile | $118,755 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Negotiation, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Law and Government. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is real estate sales agents in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 27.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 62.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 190,600.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do real estate sales agentss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | 307,480 | 32.4% |
| Cross-industry | 190,600 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 183,860 | 19.4% |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 154,000 | 16.2% |
| Construction | 11,730 | 1.2% |
| Construction of Buildings | 10,590 | 1.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Real Estate Sales Agents 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 Brokers | 49,590 | $72,280 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 219,010 | $84,130 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,113,160 | $47,320 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 417,420 | $37,130 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | 99,070 | $46,370 |
| Database Administrators | 73,180 | $104,620 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Real Estate Sales Agents workforce.
Employment Over Time
190,600 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Real Estate Sales Agents grew from 38,920 in 2009 to 84,180 in 2025 (116.3%).
Historical employment for Real Estate Sales Agents 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
$56,320 Median pay (BLS national)
Real Estate Sales Agents earn $56,320 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 Sales Agents.
Salary distribution for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Employment Growth Projections
4.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
107,129 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 27.3%
136,334 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 62.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Real Estate Sales Agents and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Real Estate Sales Agents employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Wage Trends by Industry
-11.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Real Estate Sales Agents.
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:
- FL: 24,440 employees, $73,330 avg wage
- CA: 22,370 employees, $76,220 avg wage
- TX: 21,270 employees, $73,360 avg wage
- NC: 10,140 employees, $61,480 avg wage
- NY: 10,040 employees, $104,320 avg wage
- AZ: 8,240 employees, $68,570 avg wage
- GA: 5,750 employees, $68,030 avg wage
- WA: 5,470 employees, $81,390 avg wage
- PA: 5,250 employees, $63,210 avg wage
- UT: 5,110 employees, $58,350 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,840 employees, $75,190 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 9,790 employees, $74,420 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 9,110 employees, $105,920 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 7,000 employees, $73,610 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 6,440 employees, $69,280 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,790 employees, $76,090 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 4,080 employees, $62,750 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 4,040 employees, $82,480 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 3,850 employees, $83,290 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 3,670 employees, $72,100 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Diversity
Demographic information on Real Estate Sales Agents in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Real Estate Sales Agents is about 190,600 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Real Estate Sales Agents.
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 Sales Agents.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Real Estate Sales Agents in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Marketing.
Common majors for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Real Estate Sales Agents workers.
Education level distribution for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Skills
Real Estate Sales Agents need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Negotiation, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Real Estate Sales Agents include Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Law and Government, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Real Estate Sales Agents include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Real Estate Sales Agents.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Real Estate Sales Agents.
Daily Activities
Real Estate Sales Agents spend their time on activities such as Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Working with Computers, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Real Estate Sales Agents.
About
Real Estate Sales Agents
Real Estate Sales Agents earn $56,320 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
41-9022 - Real Estate Sales Agents
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Real Estate Sales Agents reports an average salary of $77,936.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 190,600 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.9%, 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.