Average Real Estate Sales Agents Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Real Estate Sales Agents is $52,830 per year. The middle 50% earn between $40,040 and $82,020, with 193,370 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 51 states and 304 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Real Estate Sales Agents pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $32,970
- 25th
- $40,040
- Median
- $52,830
- 75th
- $82,020
- 90th
- $123,590
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Real Estate Sales Agents earn close to the national median for all US workers. Solidly middle-income.
The pay band is unusually wide for this occupation. Experience, employer, and specialization can double or even triple an early-career salary, so what real estate sales agents earn depends heavily on where they are in their career and who they work for.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for real estate sales agents from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.
- Projected growth
- +3.1%
- 12,800 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 36,600
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
A high-school diploma is typically sufficient for entry, with much of the training happening on the job.
Where Real Estate Sales Agents earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where real estate sales agents work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is District of Columbia at $123,770, about 134.3% above the national median. At the metro level, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA leads with a median of $115,820.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $123,770 | 590 |
| New York | $102,990 | 8,660 |
| New Jersey | $99,990 | N/A |
| Alaska | $89,170 | 170 |
| Nevada | $79,990 | 1,490 |
| Washington | $79,130 | 5,150 |
| Montana | $79,100 | 370 |
| New Mexico | $76,170 | 550 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $115,820 | N/A |
| Midland, TX | $109,760 | 340 |
| Reno, NV | $106,190 | 380 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $103,550 | 8,320 |
| Las Cruces, NM | $100,280 | 70 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $97,470 | 50 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $96,170 | N/A |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $93,910 | N/A |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see real estate sales agents pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Real Estate Sales Agents rose from $48,930 to $52,830, a gain of +8.0% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $48,930 would need to be worth $61,616 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $52,830 is −$8,786 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -14.3% in purchasing power.
Adjusted for inflation, pay has lost ground. Nominal growth of 8.0% has not kept up with rising prices.
- Nominal change
- +8.0%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -14.3%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Real Estate Sales Agents median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $52,830
- 2024
- $56,320
- 2023
- $54,300
- 2022
- $49,980
- 2021
- $48,340
- 2020
- $49,040
- 2019
- $48,930
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Models
- $48,470
- Telemarketers
- $35,450
- Real Estate Brokers
- $73,220
- Sales Engineers
- $124,900
- Travel Agents
- $50,160
Common salary questions for Real Estate Sales Agents
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Real Estate Sales Agents workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.