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Real Estate Agent vs Real Estate Brokers: what changes?

Consider Real Estate Agent if you want to rent, buy, or sell property for clients. 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 Real Estate Agent 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.

Real Estate Agent

National median pay (2025)
$52,830
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
Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
32,600
Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Real Estate Agent 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

Real Estate Brokers has the edge on median pay

Real Estate Brokers is at $73,220, compared with $52,830 for Real Estate Agent.

2

Real Estate Agent has the edge on annual openings

Real Estate Agent is at 32,600 annual openings, compared with 7,800 annual openings for Real Estate Brokers.

3

Typical preparation differs.

Real Estate Agent: 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 Real Estate Brokers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

4

Real Estate Agent has the edge on projected growth

Real Estate Agent is at 1.7% projected growth, compared with 0.8% projected growth for Real Estate Brokers.

53.5/ 100

Real Estate Agent

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

Real Estate Agent vs Real Estate Brokers

DimensionReal Estate AgentReal Estate Brokers
Median pay (2025)$52,830$73,220
Pay percentile38.3 percentile62.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)1.7%0.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)32,6007,800
2025 employment427,000103,500
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 3Job 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 Real Estate Agent briefRead Real Estate Brokers brief

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Real Estate Agent vs Financial Advisor / Planner

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Real Estate Agent
$52,830 · 1.7% growth
Financial Advisor / Planner
$105,070 · 1.4% growth
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Real Estate Agent
$52,830 · 1.7% growth
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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
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