BLS counts real estate sales agents who are paid as employees and reports their wages. Most agents are independent contractors paid by commission, who are not in this survey, so these figures are a floor for the occupation in each state rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home. States with a small employee count have wider error bands, and BLS suppresses the wage where the sample is too thin.
1Sales agent wages by state, ranked by median
Annual wages, May 2025 release. Click a state for its full guide, including the same figures in context and how to get licensed there.
| # | State | Agents counted | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Brokers, median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 590 | $44,180 | $123,770 | $123,770 | not published |
| 2 | New York | 8,660 | $58,030 | $102,990 | $156,810 | not published |
| 3 | New Jersey | not published | $63,000 | $99,990 | $111,990 | $111,390 |
| 4 | Alaska | 170 | $71,390 | $89,170 | $103,540 | $65,820 |
| 5 | Nevada | 1,490 | $46,740 | $79,990 | $106,190 | not published |
| 6 | Washington | 5,150 | $63,010 | $79,130 | $100,360 | $82,790 |
| 7 | Montana | 370 | $67,590 | $79,100 | $91,170 | $63,240 |
| 8 | New Mexico | 550 | $56,880 | $76,170 | $111,390 | $80,340 |
| 9 | North Dakota | not published | $38,200 | $73,920 | $91,120 | $73,300 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 640 | $47,960 | $65,170 | $77,070 | not published |
| 11 | Virginia | 5,750 | $43,120 | $63,980 | $94,050 | $77,270 |
| 12 | Colorado | 6,120 | $37,040 | $63,670 | $95,360 | $79,970 |
| 13 | Oregon | 1,940 | $40,960 | $61,610 | $81,400 | $63,070 |
| 14 | Alabama | 1,580 | $38,890 | $60,890 | $89,400 | $82,630 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | not published | $41,890 | $60,310 | $68,530 | not published |
| 16 | Illinois | 6,030 | $38,060 | $59,220 | $61,790 | $62,540 |
| 17 | West Virginia | 370 | $40,590 | $59,050 | $76,400 | $58,960 |
| 18 | Arizona | 5,610 | $41,250 | $58,780 | $94,330 | $74,260 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 1,120 | $39,570 | $58,610 | $76,040 | not published |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 5,680 | $45,210 | $58,120 | $72,000 | not published |
| 21 | Michigan | 2,210 | $40,140 | $57,880 | $78,190 | $82,510 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | 240 | $47,020 | $57,620 | $84,990 | $51,490 |
| 23 | California | 17,500 | $45,520 | $57,560 | $78,250 | $80,450 |
| 24 | Maine | 740 | $33,780 | $56,930 | $78,630 | $55,280 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 4,930 | $39,990 | $56,580 | $97,470 | not published |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 5,510 | $46,500 | $56,040 | $78,840 | not published |
| 27 | Maryland | 2,940 | $43,070 | $52,630 | $77,990 | $81,550 |
| 28 | North Carolina | 7,960 | $39,740 | $51,240 | $99,890 | $52,830 |
| 29 | Utah | 4,240 | $37,120 | $50,720 | $60,090 | $92,830 |
| 30 | Wyoming | 300 | $30,940 | $49,990 | $62,930 | not published |
| 31 | Florida | 26,790 | $39,330 | $49,310 | $79,990 | $66,010 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 3,710 | $35,160 | $47,980 | $73,220 | not published |
| 33 | Nebraska | 1,400 | $47,070 | $47,240 | $61,710 | not published |
| 34 | Delaware | 900 | $36,950 | $47,180 | $58,240 | $68,690 |
| 35 | Indiana | 3,680 | $37,790 | $46,880 | $61,990 | $75,000 |
| 36 | Connecticut | not published | $42,850 | $46,770 | $67,710 | $105,800 |
| 37 | Georgia | 9,940 | $36,980 | $46,730 | $73,880 | not published |
| 38 | Minnesota | 2,530 | $42,240 | $46,410 | $62,070 | $39,850 |
| 39 | Tennessee | 2,360 | $36,210 | $46,250 | $77,400 | $60,150 |
| 40 | Ohio | 5,130 | $36,460 | $46,240 | $59,290 | $64,510 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 690 | $43,810 | $46,220 | $64,890 | $74,310 |
| 42 | Louisiana | 1,940 | $31,110 | $45,850 | $62,350 | not published |
| 43 | Texas | 22,250 | $36,920 | $45,740 | $74,660 | $63,390 |
| 44 | Missouri | 1,590 | $37,180 | $43,960 | $63,600 | $62,280 |
| 45 | Idaho | 1,170 | $30,280 | $39,820 | $54,690 | $57,660 |
| 46 | Kansas | 1,450 | $36,990 | $39,770 | $51,000 | $69,990 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 670 | $29,050 | $39,550 | $61,290 | $41,690 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 1,640 | $30,640 | $38,180 | $86,260 | $73,800 |
| Iowa | 680 | not published | not published | not published | $50,140 | |
| Massachusetts | 4,530 | not published | not published | not published | not published | |
| Vermont | 70 | not published | not published | not published | $76,920 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 state estimates (occupations 41-9022 Real Estate Sales Agents and 41-9021 Real Estate Brokers), read September 8, 2026.
2How to read the table
- Median is the wage at which half of the counted agents earn more and half earn less. District of Columbia is highest at $123,770 and Arkansas lowest at $38,180.
- 25th and 75th percentiles bound the middle half. A wide gap between them means pay in that state varies a lot with experience and market; a narrow gap usually means a small sample.
- Agents counted is the survey's employment estimate for the occupation in that state, employees only. Florida has the largest count at 26,790; Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont have no published wage in this release.
- Brokers, median is the separate BLS occupation for real estate brokers, who hold the higher licence and often run the office; it is shown for scale, not as a career ladder guarantee.
3Why commission income is not in this table
A commissioned agent's income is the share of commission left after the brokerage split, minus licence, association and marketing costs, and no government series measures it by state. Brokerages that publish their split are the closest public signal; each state guide's "after the licence" section points to which brokerages in that state do. Industry surveys of agent income exist but are self-reported and not dated by state, so they are not used here.
Questions people ask about agent pay
- Which state pays real estate agents the most?
- On the BLS May 2025 survey of agents paid as employees, District of Columbia has the highest median at $123,770 a year and Arkansas the lowest at $38,180. Commission income of independent agents is not in the survey.
- How much does a real estate agent make a year?
- It depends on the state and on whether the agent is an employee or a commissioned contractor. The BLS medians for employee agents in this table run from $38,180 to $123,770 by state; a commissioned agent's income is their share of closed commissions after the brokerage split, which no government series measures.
- Is the BLS figure what a new agent earns?
- No. It is the median across all counted employee agents in the state, experienced and new alike, and it excludes commissioned agents. A new agent's first-year income depends on closings, which the survey does not track.
Sources and dates
Every figure above links to one of these. Dotted underlines mark sourced figures; each state's own guide carries the full section-by-section sourcing.