Occupations · Sales
Real Estate Brokers
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 41-9021.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 45% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $53,050 | 1,300 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $66,280 | 990 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $66,310 | 980 |
| Richmond, VA | $49,990 | 660 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $62,420 | 570 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $57,860 | 530 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $81,460 | 440 |
| Springfield, MO | $52,300 | 330 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $157,100 | 330 |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | $50,170 | 300 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $84,060 | 290 |
| Madison, WI | $63,690 | 260 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
- Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers over property prices and settlement details and during the closing of sales.
- Supervise agents who handle real estate transactions.
- Generate lists of properties for sale, their locations, descriptions, and available financing options, using computers.
- Manage or operate real estate offices, handling associated business details.
- Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
- Maintain knowledge of real estate law, local economies, fair housing laws, types of available mortgages, financing options, and government programs.
- Monitor fulfillment of purchase contract terms to ensure that they are handled in a timely manner.
- Check work completed by loan officers, attorneys, or other professionals to ensure that it is performed properly.
- Rent properties or manage rental properties.
- Maintain awareness of current income tax regulations, local zoning, building and tax laws, and growth possibilities of a property's area.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2015-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2015-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 7
No longer listed 3
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| property acquisitions manager | 3334.2 | exact |
| real estate investor | 3334.3.2 | close |
| real estate agent | 3334.3 | close |
| property assistant | 4312.6 | close |
| letting agent | 3334.3.1 | close |
| real estate manager | 3334.5 | close |
| real estate leasing manager | 3334.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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