How much should I pay a real estate brokers in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Real Estate Brokers is $73,216 to $103,355 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows retail trade wages growing about 3.4% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a real estate brokers?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $46,488 is below market, $73,216 to $103,355 is competitive, and above $103,355 is above market for Real Estate Brokers.

How is real estate brokers pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 1.3% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI). Retail Trade is running a 4.8% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has tightened for 2 straight months (4.2% up to 4.8%).

Real Estate Brokers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 41-9021 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$73,216

$35.20/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Real Estate Brokers salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$37K

P25$46K

P50$73K

P75$103K

P90$143K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

⚡

Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- retail openings are at 4.8% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in retail trade are rising about 3.4% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.0-3.5% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $73,216 to $103,355 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Real Estate Brokers pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 1.3% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.4% wage growth of Retail Trade (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · MODERATE

Retail Trade is running a 4.8% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has tightened for 2 straight months (4.2% up to 4.8%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 3.9 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings climbed to 4.8% and quits returned to 3.0%. Frontline churn pressure is building again.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.4% per year, up from 3.1%, one of the few sectors accelerating.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Real Estate Brokers is $73,216 per year ($35.20/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $46,488 and $103,355 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $143,291 per year. There are approximately 46,100 real estate brokers employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

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.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+3.3%

About as fast as average

Annual openings

10K

per year, on avg

Workforce today

111K

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Experience

Less than 5 years

On-the-job training

None

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Real Estate NAICS 531000	41K	$72,700
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) NAICS 5220A1	940	$78,840
Residential Building Construction NAICS 236100	880	$42,230
Nondepository Credit Intermediation NAICS 522200	440	$74,290
Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100	350	$73,170

Wage range across top 5 industries: $42,230 to $78,840 (87% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$17.84	$37,107
P25	$22.35	$46,488
P50MEDIAN	$35.20	$73,216
P75	$49.69	$103,355
P90	$68.89	$143,291

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · retail sector

Active

Openings Rate

4.8%

Quits Rate

3.0%

Retail openings rose to 774K (+49K) in June, rate up to 4.8%. Frontline turnover picked back up with the quit rate at 3.0% -- expect continued churn-driven wage pressure in hourly roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average real estate brokers salary?

The national median salary for Real Estate Brokers is $73,216 per year ($35.20/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $46,488 and $103,355 annually.

How much do top-earning real estate brokers make?

The 90th percentile salary for Real Estate Brokers is $143,291 per year ($68.89/hr). The 75th percentile is $103,355 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for real estate brokers?

Entry-level Real Estate Brokers (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,107 per year ($17.84/hr). The 25th percentile is $46,488 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Retail Salespersons41-2031$35K/yr Cashiers41-2011$33K/yr Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel41-3091$70K/yr Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products41-4012$72K/yr First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers41-1011$49K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Real Estate Brokers Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California8,430 workers Arizona3,790 workers Florida3,640 workers Colorado3,280 workers Texas2,040 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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