BLS OEWS · May 2025
How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make? Median Pay by State (2026)
The national median wage for wage-and-salary real estate sales agents is $52,830 per year. The mean is $69,510, across roughly 193,370 jobs — May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data for Real Estate Sales Agents, SOC 41-9022.
Median and mean pay by state
Click a column header to sort. Em-dashes indicate values BLS suppressed for that state.
| Employment | Guide | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,890 | $80,820 | 1,580 | Guide → |
| Alaska | $89,170 | $88,330 | 170 | Guide → |
| Arizona | $58,780 | $70,070 | 5,610 | Guide → |
| Arkansas | $38,180 | $55,080 | 1,640 | Guide → |
| California | $57,560 | $67,570 | 17,500 | Guide → |
| Colorado | $63,670 | $73,650 | 6,120 | Guide → |
| Connecticut | $46,770 | $62,640 | — | Guide → |
| Delaware | $47,180 | $58,630 | 900 | Guide → |
| District of Columbia | $123,770 | $99,500 | 590 | Guide → |
| Florida | $49,310 | $73,600 | 26,790 | Guide → |
| Georgia | $46,730 | $65,250 | 9,940 | Guide → |
| Hawaii | $46,220 | $61,130 | 690 | Guide → |
| Idaho | $39,820 | $46,650 | 1,170 | Guide → |
| Illinois | $59,220 | $57,260 | 6,030 | Guide → |
| Indiana | $46,880 | $57,030 | 3,680 | Guide → |
| Iowa | — | — | 680 | Guide → |
| Kansas | $39,770 | $47,960 | 1,450 | Guide → |
| Kentucky | $58,610 | $63,180 | 1,120 | Guide → |
| Louisiana | $45,850 | $51,560 | 1,940 | Guide → |
| Maine | $56,930 | $64,840 | 740 | Guide → |
| Maryland | $52,630 | $67,460 | 2,940 | Guide → |
| Massachusetts | — | — | 4,530 | Guide → |
| Michigan | $57,880 | $64,380 | 2,210 | Guide → |
| Minnesota | $46,410 | $61,420 | 2,530 | Guide → |
| Mississippi | $39,550 | $52,680 | 670 | Guide → |
| Missouri | $43,960 | $56,080 | 1,590 | Guide → |
| Montana | $79,100 | $89,580 | 370 | Guide → |
| Nebraska | $47,240 | $56,920 | 1,400 | Guide → |
| Nevada | $79,990 | $83,470 | 1,490 | Guide → |
| New Hampshire | $57,620 | $70,160 | 240 | Guide → |
| New Jersey | $99,990 | $92,310 | — | Guide → |
| New Mexico | $76,170 | $85,520 | 550 | Guide → |
| New York | $102,990 | $112,730 | 8,660 | Guide → |
| North Carolina | $51,240 | $74,610 | 7,960 | Guide → |
| North Dakota | $73,920 | $72,320 | — | Guide → |
| Ohio | $46,240 | $59,310 | 5,130 | Guide → |
| Oklahoma | $47,980 | $69,060 | 3,710 | Guide → |
| Oregon | $61,610 | $65,740 | 1,940 | Guide → |
| Pennsylvania | $56,040 | $65,330 | 5,510 | Guide → |
| Rhode Island | $60,310 | $64,260 | — | Guide → |
| South Carolina | $56,580 | $79,100 | 4,930 | Guide → |
| South Dakota | $65,170 | $69,510 | 640 | Guide → |
| Tennessee | $46,250 | $57,350 | 2,360 | Guide → |
| Texas | $45,740 | $63,610 | 22,250 | Guide → |
| Utah | $50,720 | $53,610 | 4,240 | Guide → |
| Vermont | — | — | 70 | Guide → |
| Virginia | $63,980 | $72,040 | 5,750 | Guide → |
| Washington | $79,130 | $84,480 | 5,150 | Guide → |
| West Virginia | $59,050 | $61,300 | 370 | Guide → |
| Wisconsin | $58,120 | $64,190 | 5,680 | Guide → |
| Wyoming | $49,990 | $52,450 | 300 | Guide → |
Estimated take-home by state
The figures above are gross. What actually reaches your bank account is smaller: the brokerage takes its share, fixed business costs come out whether you close deals or not, and self-employment tax hits what's left. The table below applies one identical set of assumptions to every state's median so the columns are comparable — read the assumptions box first, then run your own numbers in the calculator.
Adjust the assumptions
Change the split, costs, and tax rate — the whole table updates
Every figure below and in the table recalculates instantly. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
50%–100%. Default 70%.
Dues, E&O, marketing, desk fees. Default $5,500.
Self-employment + income tax estimate. Default 25%.
At the national median gross of $52,830, these assumptions leave an estimated take-home of $23,611 per year (a 45% keep rate, after a $15,849 brokerage cut, $5,500 in fixed costs, and $7,870 in estimated taxes).
| State | Gross (BLS median) | Brokerage cut | Net pre-tax | Est. taxes | Est. take-home | Keep rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $123,770 | −$37,131 | $81,139 | −$20,285 | $60,854 | 49% |
| New York | $102,990 | −$30,897 | $66,593 | −$16,648 | $49,945 | 48% |
| New Jersey | $99,990 | −$29,997 | $64,493 | −$16,123 | $48,370 | 48% |
| Alaska | $89,170 | −$26,751 | $56,919 | −$14,230 | $42,689 | 48% |
| Nevada | $79,990 | −$23,997 | $50,493 | −$12,623 | $37,870 | 47% |
| Washington | $79,130 | −$23,739 | $49,891 | −$12,473 | $37,418 | 47% |
| Montana | $79,100 | −$23,730 | $49,870 | −$12,468 | $37,403 | 47% |
| New Mexico | $76,170 | −$22,851 | $47,819 | −$11,955 | $35,864 | 47% |
| North Dakota | $73,920 | −$22,176 | $46,244 | −$11,561 | $34,683 | 47% |
| South Dakota | $65,170 | −$19,551 | $40,119 | −$10,030 | $30,089 | 46% |
| Virginia | $63,980 | −$19,194 | $39,286 | −$9,822 | $29,465 | 46% |
| Colorado | $63,670 | −$19,101 | $39,069 | −$9,767 | $29,302 | 46% |
| Oregon | $61,610 | −$18,483 | $37,627 | −$9,407 | $28,220 | 46% |
| Alabama | $60,890 | −$18,267 | $37,123 | −$9,281 | $27,842 | 46% |
| Rhode Island | $60,310 | −$18,093 | $36,717 | −$9,179 | $27,538 | 46% |
| Illinois | $59,220 | −$17,766 | $35,954 | −$8,989 | $26,966 | 46% |
| West Virginia | $59,050 | −$17,715 | $35,835 | −$8,959 | $26,876 | 46% |
| Arizona | $58,780 | −$17,634 | $35,646 | −$8,912 | $26,735 | 45% |
| Kentucky | $58,610 | −$17,583 | $35,527 | −$8,882 | $26,645 | 45% |
| Wisconsin | $58,120 | −$17,436 | $35,184 | −$8,796 | $26,388 | 45% |
| Michigan | $57,880 | −$17,364 | $35,016 | −$8,754 | $26,262 | 45% |
| New Hampshire | $57,620 | −$17,286 | $34,834 | −$8,709 | $26,126 | 45% |
| California | $57,560 | −$17,268 | $34,792 | −$8,698 | $26,094 | 45% |
| Maine | $56,930 | −$17,079 | $34,351 | −$8,588 | $25,763 | 45% |
| South Carolina | $56,580 | −$16,974 | $34,106 | −$8,527 | $25,580 | 45% |
| Pennsylvania | $56,040 | −$16,812 | $33,728 | −$8,432 | $25,296 | 45% |
| Maryland | $52,630 | −$15,789 | $31,341 | −$7,835 | $23,506 | 45% |
| North Carolina | $51,240 | −$15,372 | $30,368 | −$7,592 | $22,776 | 44% |
| Utah | $50,720 | −$15,216 | $30,004 | −$7,501 | $22,503 | 44% |
| Wyoming | $49,990 | −$14,997 | $29,493 | −$7,373 | $22,120 | 44% |
| Florida | $49,310 | −$14,793 | $29,017 | −$7,254 | $21,763 | 44% |
| Oklahoma | $47,980 | −$14,394 | $28,086 | −$7,022 | $21,065 | 44% |
| Nebraska | $47,240 | −$14,172 | $27,568 | −$6,892 | $20,676 | 44% |
| Delaware | $47,180 | −$14,154 | $27,526 | −$6,882 | $20,645 | 44% |
| Indiana | $46,880 | −$14,064 | $27,316 | −$6,829 | $20,487 | 44% |
| Connecticut | $46,770 | −$14,031 | $27,239 | −$6,810 | $20,429 | 44% |
| Georgia | $46,730 | −$14,019 | $27,211 | −$6,803 | $20,408 | 44% |
| Minnesota | $46,410 | −$13,923 | $26,987 | −$6,747 | $20,240 | 44% |
| Tennessee | $46,250 | −$13,875 | $26,875 | −$6,719 | $20,156 | 44% |
| Ohio | $46,240 | −$13,872 | $26,868 | −$6,717 | $20,151 | 44% |
| Hawaii | $46,220 | −$13,866 | $26,854 | −$6,714 | $20,141 | 44% |
| Louisiana | $45,850 | −$13,755 | $26,595 | −$6,649 | $19,946 | 44% |
| Texas | $45,740 | −$13,722 | $26,518 | −$6,630 | $19,889 | 43% |
| Missouri | $43,960 | −$13,188 | $25,272 | −$6,318 | $18,954 | 43% |
| Idaho | $39,820 | −$11,946 | $22,374 | −$5,594 | $16,781 | 42% |
| Kansas | $39,770 | −$11,931 | $22,339 | −$5,585 | $16,754 | 42% |
| Mississippi | $39,550 | −$11,865 | $22,185 | −$5,546 | $16,639 | 42% |
| Arkansas | $38,180 | −$11,454 | $21,226 | −$5,307 | $15,920 | 42% |
| Iowa | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Derived figures, rounded to the nearest dollar. Because every state runs through the same assumptions, the keep rate rises with gross income — fixed costs are a smaller bite out of a bigger number. National median $52,830 nets an estimated $23,611 under this model.
Replace these assumptions with your own numbers →Top 5 states by median pay
- 1District of Columbia$123,770
- 2New York$102,990
- 3New Jersey$99,990
- 4Alaska$89,170
- 5Nevada$79,990
Bottom 5 states by median pay
- 1Arkansas$38,180
- 2Mississippi$39,550
- 3Kansas$39,770
- 4Idaho$39,820
- 5Missouri$43,960
Salary vs. cost to get licensed
Licensing costs are trivial next to a full year of even the lowest reported median pay — but they matter as a payback-period check when you're deciding where to invest the up-front time and money. Below, the extreme states from the table above with a back-of-envelope comparison to our published licensing cost range.
Highest median pay
- District of Columbia — median $123,770Licensing $460–$800 · payback ≈ 1–2 working days
- New York — median $102,990Licensing $300–$650 · payback ≈ 1–2 working days
- New Jersey — median $99,990Licensing $575–$975 · payback ≈ 2–3 working days
- Alaska — median $89,170Licensing $1,150–$1,800 · payback ≈ 4–6 working days
- Nevada — median $79,990Licensing $600–$1,000 · payback ≈ 2–4 working days
Lowest median pay
- Arkansas — median $38,180Licensing $480–$700 · payback ≈ 4–5 working days
- Mississippi — median $39,550Licensing $425–$650 · payback ≈ 3–5 working days
- Kansas — median $39,770Licensing $510–$910 · payback ≈ 4–6 working days
- Idaho — median $39,820Licensing $950–$1,450 · payback ≈ 7–10 working days
- Missouri — median $43,960Licensing $500–$850 · payback ≈ 3–6 working days
Payback = licensing cost range ÷ state median annual pay, expressed in working days assuming 260 workdays per year. This is a rough anchor, not a forecast — most agents earn commission income not reflected in BLS wage figures.
Source & verification
Real Estate Sales Agents (SOC 41-9022). Data period: May 2025. Retrieved from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release.
- https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oessrcst.htm
- https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0000000/2025
Last verified 2026-07-08.