Agents are the engine that make the residential real estate brokerage industry hum. Without them, the mechanics of the whole industry just would not work. Countless investors and technology startups have learned this truth: real estate agents are indispensable.
Every year, the National Association of Realtors surveys its membership on a variety of demographic and business characteristics and publishes the results in the NAR Member Profile.
While more licensed real estate agents exist than are members of NAR, it is generally accepted that most productive agents Realtors. As such, this article references the detailed demographic detail NAR produces on its membership as a proxy for all productive licensed agents.
Gender
Overall, 62 percent of all Realtors are female, 36 percent are male, with 2 percent abstaining from the gender question. Realtors with an agent license, referred to as Agent Realtors going forward in this chapter, have a slightly different breakdown: 60 percent female and 38 percent male (of those who work over 40 hours per week in real estate).
(Data featuring Agent Realtors displayed where available in the data below; some data only presented by NAR for all members).
Newer agents (with 2 years or less experience) and those with six to 15 years experience are most likely to be female; those cohorts both have a 68 percent Agent Realtor gender distribution.
Source: 2023 NAR Member Report
Age
In 2023, agents are older than they have been in over two decades, with a median age of 60. The median age of Realtors in 2023 of 60 represents the oldest Realtors have been since at least 1999, when the latest NAR report starts showing data.
The percentage of Agent Realtors increases steadily as age cohorts increase. The oldest cohort, 65 years and over, has by far the most Agent Realtors with 31 percent, approximately double the next highest cohort – the immediate preceding one, 60-64 years, at16 percent. The median age of Agent Realtors in 2023 was 59 years.
Source: 2023 NAR Member Report
Formal Education
Half of all Realtors do not have a four-year college degree. Those who have a four-year college degree, break down as follows: 31 percent have a bachelor’s degree, 6 percent some graduate school and 12 percent have a graduate degree.
Compared to professions such as law and accounting – where the vast majority of professionals have college degrees – real estate has fewer college graduates, which may make sense as selling real estate requires sales and interpersonal skills, not the intricate academic training and knowledge required of other professions. Of course, the industry has suffered a persistent professionalism challenge given the low barrier to entry to become a real estate agent.
Source: 2023 NAR Member Profile
Previous Careers
Of those identified in the survey, sales/retail was the most often cited previous full-time career of Realtors. That is followed by management/business/financial at 15 percent and office/admin support at 8 percent. However, 21 percent of respondents selected other, which leaves a lot of other professions out there.
Source: 2023 NAR Member Profile
Marital Status
Most Realtors, 69 percent, are married. Agents are a marrying crowd. Approximately 50 percent of Americans are married, according to US Census Data and other sources.
Source: 2023 NAR Member Profile
Agents Gross Income
The majority of Agent Realtors report a healthy gross income. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) report earning at least $100,000 gross income per year!
Source: 2023 NAR Member Report
In addition, Realtors participate in homeownership to a high degree: 89% of all Realtors own a home; 43% own a second property.
Takeaway
Real estate agents are older than they have been in decades. They also tend to be married and own a home. Brokerages and teams can leverage an understanding of these demographics to fine-tune their recruiting strategies.