Operate real estate office, or work for commercial real estate firm, overseeing real estate transactions. Other duties usually include selling real estate or renting properties and arranging loans.
National median · BLS
$73,220
▲ +1.3%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$83,950
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
46,100
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Real Estate Brokers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$37,110
25th
$46,480
Median (50th)
$73,220
75th
$103,360
90th — top pay
$143,300
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Weekly—
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Real Estate Brokers
BLS projects employment of real estate brokers to grow 0.8% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 7,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
103,500 → 104,300
+800 jobs
Projected change
+0.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
7,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus less than 5 years experience
Self-employed
54.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
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Real Estate Brokers salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Real Estate Brokers
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Negotiation4.1
Active Learning4.0
Active Listening4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Speaking4.0
Critical Thinking3.9
Persuasion3.9
Judgment and Decision Making3.5
Service Orientation3.4
Social Perceptiveness3.4
Top knowledge areas
Sales and Marketing4.8
English Language4.1
Economics and Accounting4.0
Customer and Personal Service4.0
Administration and Management3.8
Mathematics3.5
Administrative3.4
Law and Government3.3
Software and technology used
Microsoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookAdobe PhotoshopFacebookIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Active Server Pages ASPMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSalesforce softwareYardi softwareAMTdirectAppFolio Property ManagerDeep Forest Systems OnCiteDomin-8 Enterprise Solutions Tenant ProEnterprise Software Systems CRE SyncFirst American CoreLogic RealQuest Pro
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What real estate brokers do
Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms.
Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers over property prices and settlement details and during the closing of sales.
Generate lists of properties for sale, their locations, descriptions, and available financing options, using computers.
Maintain knowledge of real estate law, local economies, fair housing laws, types of available mortgages, financing options, and government programs.
Rent properties or manage rental properties.
Monitor fulfillment of purchase contract terms to ensure that they are handled in a timely manner.
Also called
BrokerBroker AssociateManaging BrokerRealtorCommercial Leasing BrokerCommercial Real Estate AdvisorCommercial Real Estate BrokerDesignated BrokerReal Estate AssociateReal Estate Sales Associate
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Real Estate Brokers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $73,220.
