Real Estate Agent & Real Estate Broker Salary in All 50 States

Real Estate Agent & Real Estate Broker Salary in All 50 States

Real Estate Agent & Real Estate Broker Salary in All 50 States 

The real estate industry is abundant with job opportunities that are a perfect match for almost anyone interested in following a new career path. A real estate agent and a real estate broker are the two most sought-after careers within the industry. And for good reason! Both careers as an agent and a broker have great growth potential and have a competitive average salary.

If you’re not familiar with the difference between a real estate agent and a broker, real estate agents must work beneath a brokerage, while real estate brokers can work independently to sell homes to clients or manage a brokerage, and the agents who work for them.

There are many differences between real estate agents and real estate brokers, and salary is perhaps one of them. Salary also happens to be one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a new career. 

However, with both career paths requiring different state-specific licensing and rules, it is difficult to decipher what each position makes on average per year. In this blog, we’ll provide you with all the salary information you need to know for all 50 states

How Much Do Real Estate Agents & Real Estate Brokers Earn?

For this analysis, we used salaries from ZipRecruiter.com to find the mean annual salary of real estate agents and brokers in each state. Here are the results: 

State

Agent

Broker

+/- national average for agents

+/- national average for brokers

Alabama

$74,556

$97,167 

-13.10%

-1.64%

Alaska

$84,024

$102,006

-2.06%

+3.25%

Arizona

$76,653

$99,901 

-10.65%

+1.12%

Arkansas

$64,013

$76,842 

-25.39%

-22.22%

California

$85,825

$88,972 

+0.04%

-9.94%

Colorado

$81,325 

$97,488 

-5.21%

-1.32%

Connecticut

$75,032 

$92,496 

-12.54%

-6.37%

Delaware

$93,913 

$92,256

+9.46%

-6.61%

Florida

$61,467 

$80,106 

-28.35%

-18.91%

Georgia

$69,455

$90,517 

-19.04%

-8.38%

Hawaii

$81,292 

$99,090 

-5.25%

+0.30%

Idaho

$82,265 

$84,954 

-4.11%

-14.01%

Illinois

$75,016 

$90,050 

-12.56%,

-8.85%

Indiana

$78,272

$102,011 

-8.77%

+3.26%

Iowa

$74,625 

$92,923 

-13.02%

-5.94%

Kansas

$70,029 

$85,790 

-18.37%

-13.16%

Kentucky

$67,331 

$80,992 

-21.52%

-18.02%

Louisiana

$68,291 

$85,635 

-20.40%

-13.32%

Maine

$83,600 

$87,109 

-2.56%

-11.82%

Maryland

$90,887 

$89,409 

+5.94% 

-9.50%

Massachusetts

$84,775 

$102,168 

-1.19%

+3.42%

Michigan

$67,394 

$80,760 

-21.45%

-18.25%

Minnesota

$78,217 

$98,084 

-8.83%

-0.72%

Mississippi

$74,380 

$91,145

-13.30%

-7.74%

Missouri

$72,444 

$86,664 

-15.56%

-12.28%

Montana

$75,499 

$98,396 

-11.99%

-0.40%

Nebraska

$88,762 

$87,679

+3.46%

-11.25%

Nevada

$79,448 

$96,449

-7.40%

-2.37%

New Hampshire

$80,974 

$86,613

-5.62%

-12.33%

New Jersey

$82,215 

$105,021 

-4.17%

+6.31%

New Mexico

$78,023 

$98,910 

-9.06%

+0.12%

New York

$90,773 

$97,342

+5.80%

-1.47%

North Carolina

$70,217 

$84,048 

-18.16%

-14.92%

North Dakota

$82,840 

$101,065

-3.44%

+2.30%

Ohio

$76,097 

$95,715 

-11.30%

-3.11%

Oklahoma

$85,960 

$84,910 

+0.19%

-14.05%

Oregon

$82,873 

$101,274 

-3.40%

+2.51%

Pennsylvania

$83,146 

$89,181 

-3.09%

-9.73%

Rhode Island

$76,762

$93,804 

-10.53%

-5.05%

South Carolina

$71,696 

$85,819

-16.43%

-13.13%

South Dakota

$78,292 

$95,517 

-8.74%

-3.31%

Tennessee

$72,652 

$91,387 

-15.32%

-7.49%

Texas

$81,859 

$84,283

-4.59%

-14.69%

Utah

$72,597 

$90,853

-15.38%

-8.04%

Vermont

$88,900 

$94,804

+3.62%

-4.04%

Virginia

$92,296 

$91,171

+7.58%

-7.71%

Washington

$100,261 

$102,627

+16.86%

+3.88%

West Virginia

$64,214 

$68,876

-25.15%

-30.28%

Wisconsin

$81,220

$102,885

-5.33%

+4.14%

Wyoming

$79,478

$104,259

-7.36%

+5.53%

National Average

$85,793

$98,791

 

 

* ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. 

Who Makes More Money, a Real Estate Agent or Broker? 

According to ZipRecruiter, the average national salary for a real estate agent is $85,793. For a real estate broker, however, the average national salary is over $10,000 more at $98,791. This means that, on average, brokers make more annually than agents. 

Where Do Real Estate Agents Make the Most Money? 

Rank

State

Average Salary

1

Washington

$100,261

2

Delaware

$93,913

3

Virginia

$92,296

4

Maryland

$90,887

5

New York 

$90,773

6

Vermont

$88,900

7

Nebraska

$88,762

8

Oklahoma

$85,960

9

California

$85,825

10

Massachusetts

$84,775

Where Do Real Estate Agents Make the Least Money?

Rank

State

Average Salary

50

Florida

$61,467

49

Arkansas

$64,013

48

West Virginia

$64,214

47

Kentucky

$67,331

46

Michigan

$67,394

45

Louisiana

$68,291

44

Georgia

$69,455

43

Kansas

$70,029

42

North Carolina

$70,217

41

South Carolina

$71,696

 

Where Do Real Estate Brokers Make the Most Money? 

Rank

State

Average Salary

1

New Jersey

$105,021

2

Wyoming

$104,259

3

Wisconsin

$102,885

4

Washington

$102,627

5

Massachusetts

$102,168 

6

Indiana

$102,011

7

Alaska

$102,006

8

Oregon

$101,274

9

North Dakota

$101,065

10

Arizona

$99,901

Where Do Real Estate Brokers Make the Least Money?

Rank

State

Average Salary

50

West Virginia 

$68,876

49

Arkansas

$76,842

48

Florida

$80,106

47

Michigan

$80,760

46

Kentucky

$80,992

45

North Carolina

$84,048

44

Texas

$84,283

43

Oklahoma

$84,910

42

Idaho

$84,954

41

Louisiana

$85,635

How to Make More Money as a Real Estate Agent 

Even though real estate agents make a nationwide average of $85,793, every agent makes a different salary. Salaries can range from $25,000 to over $1,000,000 a year! To make more money as a real estate agent, you will need to focus on gaining more experience, increasing your effort, and dedicating more time to your profession. 

Additionally, your location and your niche expertise will influence your salary potential as an agent or broker. 

Here are some tips that allow you to make more money as a real estate agent: 

1. Gain Industry Experience

The first few years an individual works within the real estate industry, their salary may fall below the national average. Because a career in real estate is dependent on connections and relationships, it may take a few years for a new real estate professional to build a solid foundation and establish trust with their contacts.

Therefore, continue working on developing connections, and over time, you will gain more clients, and your salary will start to increase. 

2. Focus on Your Effort and Dedicate More Time to Your Profession

Though being a professional in the real estate industry allows a person to break away from the typical 9 to 5 workday, agents and brokers still need to put in a great amount of time and effort before they see lucrative results. 

Time management is difficult when someone first breaks away from their job to pursue a career in real estate. However, people working in the real estate industry part-time will most likely make a part-time salary. 

Simply put, the more time and effort you put into your craft, the more money you will make. 

3. Find a Lucrative and Profitable Location 

As you can see from the salary chart above, real estate agents and brokers make different salaries in different locations. This is because the real estate market is different in every state.

An agent working in New York City or Miami may have more work and make more in commission from higher-priced homes than a real estate agent working in a small town in Kansas.

Salaries may differ within different locations in each state. Higher demand and fast-paced purchases in a city are sure to garner more of a profit than the slower pace and lower demand in more rural areas.

If you are interested in making more money in real estate, find a location that has a high demand for real estate agents and is within a booming market.

4. Pick the Right Niche

Agents work in different types of niches. These different niches bring different commissions based on the demand and the current state of the market. Here are a few of the most popular types of niches for real estate agents.

Residential Real Estate

These agents usually work with families or individuals looking for a home. The most common property types are single-family homes, condominiums, co-ops, townhouses, duplexes, triple-deckers, quadplexes, high-value homes, multi-generational and vacation homes.

Luxury Real Estate

These agents usually work with ultra-wealthy individuals who have assets of $50 million or more. They're among the world's wealthiest individuals, and it is difficult to break into this field of real estate without connections or a network already established. 

Commercial Real Estate

These agents usually work with clients interested in purchasing business properties. These properties include shopping centers, strip malls, medical centers, educational buildings, hotels, offices, and apartment buildings. 

Industrial Real Estate

These agents usually work with clients interested in purchasing property for manufacturing and warehouses. These properties are commonly used for research, production, storage, and distribution of goods. The main difference between Industrial and commercial properties is in the zoning of the property and the construction of the buildings. 

Land and Vacant Property Real Estate

These agents usually work with clients interested in purchasing land. These properties include vacant land, working farms, and ranches. Vacant land includes undeveloped, early development, reuse, subdivision, and site assembly parcels.

Start Your Journey With VanEd 

If you’re ready to take a step forward, sign up for a real estate license course from a top provider to help you prepare for a successful career. 

With over 50,000 pre-licensing students since 1997, VanEd is one of the most trusted schools in the country offering online real estate classes. VanEd students can complete their courses quickly and pass their exams the first time by taking advantage of our modern, effective online course delivery. 

Additionally, the cost of our pre-license courses is very competitive and represents a significant saving compared to brick-and-mortar classroom schools. 

Ready to take control of your career? Get started with VanEd today!

Written and Published by: VanEd


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