Best US Cities for Real Estate Agents
Top US cities for Real Estate Agents ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $68,800 | 1.45× | +$16,800 |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $64,900 | 1.32× | +$12,900 |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | $64,200 | 1.30× | +$12,200 |
| 4 | Irvine, CA | $64,200 | 1.30× | +$12,200 |
| 5 | Scottsdale, AZ | $63,400 | 1.18× | +$11,400 |
| 6 | Oakland, CA | $62,000 | 1.35× | +$10,000 |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | $61,800 | 1.22× | +$9,800 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $61,800 | 1.22× | +$9,800 |
| 9 | San Diego, CA | $61,500 | 1.21× | +$9,500 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $61,500 | 1.12× | +$9,500 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $68,800 | $33/hr |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $64,900 | $31/hr |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | $64,200 | $31/hr |
| 4 | Irvine, CA | $64,200 | $31/hr |
| 5 | Scottsdale, AZ | $63,400 | $30/hr |
| 6 | Oakland, CA | $62,000 | $30/hr |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | $61,800 | $30/hr |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $61,800 | $30/hr |
| 9 | San Diego, CA | $61,500 | $30/hr |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $61,500 | $30/hr |
| 11 | Yonkers, NY | $61,200 | $29/hr |
| 12 | Long Beach, CA | $60,500 | $29/hr |
| 13 | Anaheim, CA | $60,500 | $29/hr |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $59,300 | $29/hr |
| 15 | Plano, TX | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $58,400 | $28/hr |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $58,400 | $28/hr |
| 18 | Anchorage, AK | $57,700 | $28/hr |
| 19 | St. Petersburg, FL | $57,400 | $28/hr |
| 20 | Seattle, WA | $57,100 | $27/hr |
| 21 | Frisco, TX | $56,600 | $27/hr |
| 22 | Minneapolis, MN | $56,300 | $27/hr |
| 23 | Chula Vista, CA | $56,300 | $27/hr |
| 24 | Philadelphia, PA | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 25 | Atlanta, GA | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 26 | Reno, NV | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 27 | Charleston, SC | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 28 | Salt Lake City, UT | $55,800 | $27/hr |
| 29 | Orlando, FL | $55,400 | $27/hr |
| 30 | Wilmington, DE | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 31 | Virginia Beach, VA | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 32 | Portland, OR | $54,900 | $26/hr |
| 33 | Newark, NJ | $54,900 | $26/hr |
| 34 | Sacramento, CA | $54,900 | $26/hr |
| 35 | Riverside, CA | $54,900 | $26/hr |
| 36 | Dallas, TX | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 37 | Nashville, TN | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 38 | Colorado Springs, CO | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 39 | Denver, CO | $54,300 | $26/hr |
| 40 | Charlotte, NC | $54,200 | $26/hr |
| 41 | Tucson, AZ | $54,000 | $26/hr |
| 42 | Pittsburgh, PA | $53,600 | $26/hr |
| 43 | Austin, TX | $53,400 | $26/hr |
| 44 | Baltimore, MD | $53,400 | $26/hr |
| 45 | Stockton, CA | $53,400 | $26/hr |
| 46 | Aurora, CO | $53,400 | $26/hr |
| 47 | Hialeah, FL | $53,400 | $26/hr |
| 48 | Milwaukee, WI | $53,300 | $26/hr |
| 49 | New Orleans, LA | $53,300 | $26/hr |
| 50 | Las Vegas, NV | $53,100 | $26/hr |
| 51 | Chandler, AZ | $53,100 | $26/hr |
| 52 | San Antonio, TX | $53,000 | $25/hr |
| 53 | Detroit, MI | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 54 | Kansas City, MO | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 55 | Buffalo, NY | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 56 | Knoxville, TN | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 57 | Henderson, NV | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 58 | Gilbert, AZ | $52,600 | $25/hr |
| 59 | Winston-Salem, NC | $52,400 | $25/hr |
| 60 | Raleigh, NC | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 61 | Omaha, NE | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 62 | St. Paul, MN | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 63 | Chesapeake, VA | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 64 | North Las Vegas, NV | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 65 | Boise, ID | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 66 | Fresno, CA | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 67 | Worcester, MA | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 68 | Bakersfield, CA | $51,700 | $25/hr |
| 69 | Madison, WI | $51,700 | $25/hr |
| 70 | Norfolk, VA | $51,400 | $25/hr |
| 71 | Jacksonville, FL | $51,100 | $25/hr |
| 72 | Mesa, AZ | $51,100 | $25/hr |
| 73 | Houston, TX | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 74 | Fort Worth, TX | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 75 | Glendale, AZ | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 76 | Garland, TX | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 77 | Spokane, WA | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 78 | Arlington, TX | $50,600 | $24/hr |
| 79 | Tallahassee, FL | $50,600 | $24/hr |
| 80 | Albuquerque, NM | $50,300 | $24/hr |
| 81 | Grand Rapids, MI | $50,000 | $24/hr |
| 82 | Columbus, OH | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 83 | Cincinnati, OH | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 84 | Lexington, KY | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 85 | Corpus Christi, TX | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 86 | Greensboro, NC | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 87 | El Paso, TX | $49,400 | $24/hr |
| 88 | Cleveland, OH | $49,400 | $24/hr |
| 89 | St. Louis, MO | $49,400 | $24/hr |
| 90 | Indianapolis, IN | $49,100 | $24/hr |
| 91 | Louisville, KY | $49,100 | $24/hr |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | $48,900 | $24/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $48,900 | $24/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $48,900 | $24/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $48,600 | $23/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $48,600 | $23/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $48,600 | $23/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $48,000 | $23/hr |
Does location actually decide Real Estate Agent pay?
Real Estate Agent work is usually hybrid, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $48,000 in Mobile to $68,800 in San Francisco — a spread of 43%.
Licensing adds friction the ranking does not show. Real Estate Agent requires State real estate license: pre-licensing coursework plus exam, and licenses are issued state by state. Moving for a higher salary can mean re-credentialing, which takes time and sometimes additional exams — check reciprocity with the destination board before treating a pay gap as attainable.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In San Francisco, $68,800 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $32,800 a year after housing. In Mobile, $48,000 against $850 leaves about $37,800. The bottom of the pay list beats the top once rent is subtracted — which is the whole reason to look past headline salary.
Why these metros and not others
What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); New York City (JPMorgan Chase, NYC Health + Hospitals); Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems). Where real estate employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.