Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Real estate agent
Real estate sales agents help people buy, sell, and rent property: pricing, showings, offers, and paperwork through closing. Most work under a licensed broker and are paid by commission, so income depends on closed deals.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a real estate agent makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$52,830
$25.40 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $40,040
- 75th percentile
- $82,020
- 90th percentile
- $123,590
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- Not published
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +1.7%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 32,600
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
Every state licenses agents without asking for a college degree. The path is a state-approved pre-licensing course (roughly 40 to 180 classroom hours depending on the state), a state exam, a background check, and affiliation with a brokerage. New agents usually start part-time or with savings, because the first commission often arrives months after licensing.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Rent, buy, or sell property for clients. Perform duties such as study property listings, interview prospective clients, accompany clients to property site, discuss conditions of sale, and draw up real estate contracts. Includes agents who represent buyer.
The next step
State real estate pre-licensing course and exam
- Typical cost
- $500 to $1,500 all-in (course, exam, license)
- Time to complete
- 2 to 6 months, self-paced online courses are common
Requirements and hours differ by state; the course provider lists each state's rules.
Where to start State pre-licensing course
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for real estate sales agents by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $59.51 | $123,770 | $44,180 to $123,770 | 590 |
| New York | $49.51 | $102,990 | $58,030 to $156,810 | 8,660 |
| New Jersey | $48.07 | $99,990 | $63,000 to $111,990 | — |
| Alaska | $42.87 | $89,170 | $71,390 to $103,540 | 170 |
| Nevada | $38.46 | $79,990 | $46,740 to $106,190 | 1,490 |
| Washington | $38.04 | $79,130 | $63,010 to $100,360 | 5,150 |
| Montana | $38.03 | $79,100 | $67,590 to $91,170 | 370 |
| New Mexico | $36.62 | $76,170 | $56,880 to $111,390 | 550 |
| North Dakota | $35.54 | $73,920 | $38,200 to $91,120 | — |
| South Dakota | $31.33 | $65,170 | $47,960 to $77,070 | 640 |
| Virginia | $30.76 | $63,980 | $43,120 to $94,050 | 5,750 |
| Colorado | $30.61 | $63,670 | $37,040 to $95,360 | 6,120 |
| Oregon | $29.62 | $61,610 | $40,960 to $81,400 | 1,940 |
| Alabama | $29.28 | $60,890 | $38,890 to $89,400 | 1,580 |
| Rhode Island | $28.99 | $60,310 | $41,890 to $68,530 | — |
| Illinois | $28.47 | $59,220 | $38,060 to $61,790 | 6,030 |
| West Virginia | $28.39 | $59,050 | $40,590 to $76,400 | 370 |
| Arizona | $28.26 | $58,780 | $41,250 to $94,330 | 5,610 |
| Kentucky | $28.18 | $58,610 | $39,570 to $76,040 | 1,120 |
| Wisconsin | $27.94 | $58,120 | $45,210 to $72,000 | 5,680 |
| Michigan | $27.83 | $57,880 | $40,140 to $78,190 | 2,210 |
| New Hampshire | $27.70 | $57,620 | $47,020 to $84,990 | 240 |
| California | $27.68 | $57,560 | $45,520 to $78,250 | 17,500 |
| Maine | $27.37 | $56,930 | $33,780 to $78,630 | 740 |
| South Carolina | $27.20 | $56,580 | $39,990 to $97,470 | 4,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $26.94 | $56,040 | $46,500 to $78,840 | 5,510 |
| Maryland | $25.31 | $52,630 | $43,070 to $77,990 | 2,940 |
| North Carolina | $24.64 | $51,240 | $39,740 to $99,890 | 7,960 |
| Utah | $24.38 | $50,720 | $37,120 to $60,090 | 4,240 |
| Wyoming | $24.03 | $49,990 | $30,940 to $62,930 | 300 |
| Florida | $23.71 | $49,310 | $39,330 to $79,990 | 26,790 |
| Oklahoma | $23.07 | $47,980 | $35,160 to $73,220 | 3,710 |
| Nebraska | $22.71 | $47,240 | $47,070 to $61,710 | 1,400 |
| Delaware | $22.68 | $47,180 | $36,950 to $58,240 | 900 |
| Indiana | $22.54 | $46,880 | $37,790 to $61,990 | 3,680 |
| Connecticut | $22.49 | $46,770 | $42,850 to $67,710 | — |
| Georgia | $22.47 | $46,730 | $36,980 to $73,880 | 9,940 |
| Minnesota | $22.31 | $46,410 | $42,240 to $62,070 | 2,530 |
| Tennessee | $22.24 | $46,250 | $36,210 to $77,400 | 2,360 |
| Ohio | $22.23 | $46,240 | $36,460 to $59,290 | 5,130 |
| Hawaii | $22.22 | $46,220 | $43,810 to $64,890 | 690 |
| Louisiana | $22.04 | $45,850 | $31,110 to $62,350 | 1,940 |
| Texas | $21.99 | $45,740 | $36,920 to $74,660 | 22,250 |
| Missouri | $21.14 | $43,960 | $37,180 to $63,600 | 1,590 |
| Idaho | $19.15 | $39,820 | $30,280 to $54,690 | 1,170 |
| Kansas | $19.12 | $39,770 | $36,990 to $51,000 | 1,450 |
| Mississippi | $19.02 | $39,550 | $29,050 to $61,290 | 670 |
| Arkansas | $18.36 | $38,180 | $30,640 to $86,260 | 1,640 |
| Iowa | — | — | — | 680 |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — | 4,530 |
| Vermont | — | — | — | 70 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a real estate agent?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry. The usual credential is state real estate pre-licensing course and exam.
How much does a real estate agent make?
The median pay was $52,830 a year ($25.40 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $40,040 and $82,020, and the top 10 percent earned more than $123,590.
How long does it take to become a real estate agent?
2 to 6 months, self-paced online courses are common. The typical cost is $500 to $1,500 all-in (course, exam, license).
Is real estate agent work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 1.7% from 2025 to 2035 with about 32,600 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 41-9022.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile