New NAR Report Finds Realtors Show Strong Commitment to Profession Amid Market Headwinds

WASHINGTON—Agents who are Realtors continue to demonstrate resilience and commitment to their profession despite the current housing affordability challenges impacting the market, according to the National Association of Realtors' 2025 Member Profile released today (Aug. 6).

This year's report reveals that the typical member had 12 years of experience, up from 10 last year, and 74% said they were very certain they would remain active in the real estate industry for at least two more years, underscoring long-term confidence in the profession even amid market uncertainty.

"The real estate market will always have a consistent flow of new entrepreneurs," said Jessica Lautz, NAR Deputy Chief Economist. "Despite the headwinds in the current market, the majority of agents who are Realtors plan on staying in real estate as active professionals."

The annual report provides a snapshot of NAR members' business activity, income, firm affiliation, tech use and demographics based on transactions and trends from 2024.

The typical agent reported 10 transactions in 2024, unchanged from 2023, showing steady performance despite the current market conditions. The median sales volume per agent also remained steady at $2.5 million.

Twenty-five percent of NAR members cited housing affordability as the biggest hurdle for potential homebuyers—topping the long-standing concerns about inventory and property availability.

NAR's report showed that the median gross income for Realtors rose to $58,100 in 2024, up from $55,800 in 2023.

Fifty-five percent of members are affiliated with an independent company. Eighty-seven percent are independent contractors at their firms.

Here are the major highlights from the NAR Member Profile report:

Business Characteristics of Realtors

• Sixty-four percent of Realtors were licensed sales agents, 22% held broker licenses, and 16% held broker associate licenses.
• The typical Realtor had 12 years of experience, up from 10 last year.
• Sixteen percent of members had at least one personal assistant.
• Realtors most often reported their primary specialty as residential brokerage at 70%.
• Seventy-four percent of Realtors were very certain they will remain active as a real estate professional for the next two years.

Business Activity of Realtors

• In 2024, the typical agent had 10 transactions, the same as in 2023.
• The median sales volume for brokerage specialists remained at $2.5 million in 2024.
• At 25%, housing affordability surpassed the difficulty finding the right property and lack of inventory as the most important factor limiting potential clients from making a purchase.
• The typical property manager managed 32 properties in 2024, up slightly from 31 properties in 2023.
• The typical Realtor worked 35 hours per week in 2024, the same as last year.
• The typical Realtor earned 20% of their business from repeat clients and customers, and 21% through referrals from past clients and customers.

Income and Expenses of Realtors

• The median gross income of Realtors—income earned from real estate activities—was $58,100 in 2024, an increase from $55,800 in 2023.
• Realtors with 16 years or more experience had a median gross income of $78,900—down from $92,500 in 2023—compared to Realtors with two years or less experience that had a median gross income of $8,100, the same as 2023.
• The total median business expenses were $8,010 in 2024, a slight decrease from $8,450 in 2023.
• The largest expense category for most Realtors was vehicle expenses, similar to last year, which was $1,650.
• Realtors typically spent a median of $60 to maintain a website.

Office and Firm Affiliation of Realtors

• Fifty-five percent of Realtors are affiliated with an independent company.
• Eighty-seven percent of Realtors are independent contractors at their firms.
• The median tenure for Realtors with their current firm was six years, down slightly from last year.
• Fifty-six percent of brokers had some ownership interest in their firm, and 41% reported having sole ownership of their firm, an increase from 37% last year.
• Nine percent of Realtors worked for a firm that was bought or merged in the past two years.

Technology & Realtors

• Ninety-five percent of Realtors reported using a smartphone (with wireless email and Internet capabilities daily or nearly every day. Among smartphone features, 93% reported using email daily or nearly every day, 56% use social media apps, and 54% use GPS daily.
• Realtors most often communicate with current clients via text messaging (93%), telephone (91%), and e-mail (89%).
• Sixty-eight percent of Realtors reported having a website for business use.
• Realtors’ websites typically included their own property listings (81%), information about the home buying and selling process (67%), and a link to their firm’s website (65%).
• For professional use, Realtors were typically most active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Demographic Characteristics of Realtors

• The typical Realtor was a 57-year-old white female who attended college and was a homeowner.
• Sixty-three percent of all Realtors were female, down from 65% last year.
• Sixteen percent of Realtors had a previous career in sales or retail, and 15% in management, business, or finance. Only 6% of Realtors reported real estate was their first career.
• Seventy-one percent of Realtors said that real estate was their only occupation; 29% had another income source.
• The majority of Realtors —84%—own their primary residence, and 39% own a secondary property.

The 2025 Member Profile was based on survey responses from 4,947 NAR members across the U.S., collected in March 2025.