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Insurance Sales Agents vs Real Estate Brokers: what changes?

Consider Insurance Sales Agents if you want to sell life, property, casualty, health, automotive, or other types of insurance. Consider Real Estate Brokers if you would rather operate real estate office, or work for commercial real estate firm, overseeing real estate transactions. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Real Estate Brokers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Insurance Sales Agents and Real Estate Brokers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Insurance Sales Agents

National median pay (2025)
$62,280
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
43,100
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Insurance Sales Agents brief

Real Estate Brokers

National median pay (2025)
$73,220
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience
Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
7,800
Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Real Estate Brokers brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Insurance Sales Agents has the edge on annual openings

Insurance Sales Agents is at 43,100 annual openings, compared with 7,800 annual openings for Real Estate Brokers.

2

Insurance Sales Agents has the edge on projected growth

Insurance Sales Agents is at 3.3% projected growth, compared with 0.8% projected growth for Real Estate Brokers.

3

Real Estate Brokers has the edge on median pay

Real Estate Brokers is at $73,220, compared with $62,280 for Insurance Sales Agents.

59.2/ 100

Insurance Sales Agents

vs
49.2/ 100

Real Estate Brokers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Insurance Sales Agents vs Real Estate Brokers

DimensionInsurance Sales AgentsReal Estate Brokers
Median pay (2025)$62,280$73,220
Pay percentile52.1 percentile62.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)3.3%0.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)43,1007,800
2025 employment572,600103,500
How you qualifyHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 4Job Zone 4
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job trainingMore than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Insurance Sales Agents briefRead Real Estate Brokers brief

Try another comparison

Insurance Sales Agents vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Insurance Sales Agents
$62,280 · 3.3% growth
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
$72,080 · -0.9% growth
Compare careers →

Insurance Sales Agents vs Real Estate Agent

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Insurance Sales Agents
$62,280 · 3.3% growth
Real Estate Agent
$52,830 · 1.7% growth
Compare careers →

Real Estate Brokers vs First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Real Estate Brokers
$73,220 · 0.8% growth
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
$87,520 · 0.5% growth
Compare careers →

Real Estate Brokers vs Real Estate Agent

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Real Estate Brokers
$73,220 · 0.8% growth
Real Estate Agent
$52,830 · 1.7% growth
Compare careers →
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