Real Estate Pay: Agents, Brokers and Property Managers (US Data)
US wage data for real estate sales agents, brokers, property managers and construction managers, and why official figures cannot describe most self-employed agents.
Published by SalaryBases. Drafted with AI assistance and revised to remove or reword figures we could not trace to a source. Not reviewed by a licensed professional. Pay figures come only from the official datasets named beside each table and apply only to the country, year and definition stated there. Methodology
Real estate pay is dominated by commission, and many agents are independent contractors. That matters because official wage data does not cover the self-employed, so the table below describes only part of the profession.
What US government data shows
| Occupation (SOC) | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Sales Agents (41-9022) | $32,970 | $52,830 | $123,590 |
| Real Estate Brokers (41-9021) | $37,110 | $73,220 | $143,300 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers (11-9141) | $41,010 | $69,990 | $139,680 |
| Construction Managers (11-9021) | $69,690 | $114,990 | $189,440 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $53,280 | $79,920 | $128,260 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Scope: United States, national estimates, all industries, annual wages in US dollars (retrieved 9 October 2026). The median is the middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; 10th/90th percentile mean 10% earn less/more. The survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, equity and employer benefit costs. BLS methodology.
Real estate sales agents who are employees have a median of $52,830, with a 10th to 90th percentile range of $32,970 to $123,590. Real estate brokers have a median of $73,220. Property, real estate and community association managers have a median of $69,990. Construction managers, shown as a related role, have a median of $114,990, and first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers $79,920.
An important limit: most agents are self-employed
The BLS survey covers wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed. Many real estate agents work as independent contractors affiliated with a brokerage, so the figure for sales agents describes a subset and may not represent a typical agent's income. We therefore do not present these numbers as "what agents earn".
How agent income works
- Commission: income comes from a share of the commission on completed sales, which is irregular. A month with no closings means no income.
- Brokerage splits and fees: the commission is usually shared with the brokerage under a split, and some brokerages charge fees. Ask for the split structure in writing.
- Business expenses: licensing, association and listing-service dues, marketing, transport and software are commonly paid by the agent.
- Taxes: independent contractors usually pay self-employment taxes and arrange their own retirement and health coverage.
- Market cycles: transaction volume rises and falls with the housing market and interest rates, so income can swing from year to year.
Other real estate careers
Property management is typically salaried and more stable than sales. Appraisal, inspection, development and investment roles each have different licensing and pay structures. We do not have verified national figures for development or investment roles, so we do not quote any.
Licensing
Real estate licensing is set by state: pre-licensing education, an exam and renewal requirements all differ. Check your state real estate commission before planning your income.
Putting this to use
Work out your break-even point: expected expenses, taxes and a month-by-month income cushion. The Freelancer Rate Calculator and the Tax Estimator help you model irregular income, and the Job Offer Comparator compares a salaried property management role with a commission-based one.
Key takeaways
- Official data covers only salaried real estate workers: sales agents who are employees have a median of $52,830.
- Most agents are self-employed, so the table is not a measure of typical agent income.
- Splits, expenses, taxes and market cycles decide real earnings.
- Property management is a more stable, salaried alternative with a median of $69,990.
Sources used in this guide
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: methodology and tables — Every wage figure in the tables above (each row links to its own BLS occupation profile).