Number of Realtors in the United States (2024) (2024)

There are 1,554,604 Realtors (members of the National Association of Realtors) in the United States among an estimated 2,000,000 real estate agents (licensed, but not members of the National Association of Realtors).

This article is part of RubyHome's comprehensive series on real estate statistics. Below, we will cover the following topics about real estate agents:

• How Many Realtors Are There in Each State?
• Is the Number of Realtors Growing or Declining?
• Which Cities Have the Most Employed Sales Agents?

Key Real Estate Agent Figures

• There are 1,554,604 Realtors in the United States.

• There are 106,548 real estate brokerages in the United States, or 14.6Realtors for every brokerage.
• Among the states, Florida has the most Realtors and Vermont the fewest.
• Among cities, the Miami Metropolitan Area has the highest concentration of real estate sales agents.

How Many Realtors Are There in Each State?

• The states with the most Realtors are Florida (225,563), California (204,678), and Texas (150,141).
• Vermont is the state has the fewest (1,787).
• The Virgin Islands (387) has the fewest of the U.S. Territories.

Here is table showing the number of Realtors by state:

Is the Number of Realtors Growing or Declining?

• The National Association of REALTORS® was founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges on May 12, 1908 in Chicago.
• There were 120 founding members, and 1,646 members by year's end.
• In NAR’s early years, membership growth was steady, but it really took off between 1974 and 1975 when the ranks swelled by 301,123 from 134,362 to 435,485, a 224% increase.

The number of Realtors in the United States ebbs and flows with economic cycles. During good times, when Americans are feeling flush and in a home-buying mood, the number of agents increases to meet the demand and opportunity.

When the economy cools, two things happen.

First, existing Realtors tend to leave the business and let their licenses expire. In most states, licenses are good for four years. As time passes during the slow times, there's an eventual "clearing of the deadwood from the forest."

Second, during recessions, fewer would-be agents are willing to take the mandatory preparatory coursework and exams when the prospects of making a living selling homes appears difficult.

The chart below shows the growth and decline of the number of Realtors in the United States along with each recession since 1980. The grey bars show the years the U.S. economy was in recession to help illustrate the connection between the number of agents and the health of the economy.

Which Cities Have the Most Employed Sales Agents?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports employment levels by metropolitan area. So, the data we can look at is not the absolute number of agents, but the number of agents currently employed.

Also, BLS calculates their ranks among all employed people, providing a comparison of their concentration or representation with the workforce.

Here a table of the metros with the highest employment level of real estate sales agents and the number of employed agents per 1,000 jobs:

• Among the metros with the highest level of employed sales agents, the Miami area has the highest concentration in the workforce with 4.22 sales agents per 1,000 jobs.
• The New York Metro Area’s population is quite large, so even with 6,040 employed sales agents, their concentration is the lowest with 0.66 agents per 1,000 jobs.

Summary

In 2024, the U.S. boasts 1,554,604Realtors, members of the National Association of Realtors, out of approximately 2 million real estate agents. Florida, California, and Texas lead in Realtor numbers, while Vermont and the Virgin Islands have the least.

The National Association of REALTORS® was established in 1908, and its membership has since fluctuated with economic cycles. During prosperous times, agent numbers rise, but during downturns, many leave the profession.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the Miami Metropolitan Area has the highest concentration of employed real estate agents, whereas New York Metro Area has a lower concentration despite its vast population.

Sources

National Association of Realtors (NAR)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis