Real Estate Sales Agent Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of real estate sales agents to grow 1.7% from 2025 to 2035 (about 7,400 more jobs), with about 32,600 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $52,830 a year ranks 506th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +1.7%
- Openings a year
- 32,600
- Median pay
- $52,830
- Pay rank
- 506th of 825
Is employment of real estate sales agents growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of real estate sales agents to rise 1.7% (about 7,400 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the -1.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 22 sales and related occupations with a projection. That change ranks 511th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 427,000 |
| Employment, 2035 | 434,500 |
| Projected change | +1.7% |
| Openings a year | 32,600 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 427,000 jobs here differ from the 193,370 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 32,600 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 116th most of 830 occupations. About 98% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 740 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for real estate sales agents rank?
The median of $52,830 a year ranks 506th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Brokers | +0.8% | 7,800 | $73,220 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | +1.4% | 35,100 | $78,660 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | +2.7% | 115,700 | $69,990 |
| Counter and Rental Clerks | +3.0% | 46,100 | $41,300 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | +3.3% | 43,100 | $62,280 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | -7.2% | 7,800 | $64,820 |
| Telemarketers | -21.4% | 5,800 | $35,450 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | +3.7% | 36,900 | $69,990 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.