Are you in the absolute best city for your real estate career? After all, it’s all about location, right? We ranked the top 64 cities in the country to determine the best cities for real estate agents. This comprehensive data investigation shows real estate agents which cities have the most growth and earning potential, which markets are popping, and where real estate opportunities abound. See if your city made the list, or maybe you need to move and find a location where your real estate career can soar.
Curious to see the other cities we evaluated and if one of them is yours? Click here to jump down to our methodology section to see the complete list of cities ranked and the methodology behind how we came up with rankings.
Best 10 Cities for Real Estate Agents
1. Las Vegas, NV
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Beyond the glitz, glitter, and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip is a sprawling city of almost three million people. This desert oasis is no longer just blackjack tables and star-studded shows—it’s a fantastic hub for real estate and number one on our list of best places to be a real estate agent.
Many factors have to come together to create this perfect locale for the real estate industry, including plenty of brokerages that are hiring, median house prices well over $400,000, and take-home pay of $79,770 (ranking eighth). But what really sets Las Vegas apart is that just about everyone is moving there. The population, which has grown by over 6% since 2021, is supported by a healthy job market (3.8% increase in 2023). It’s also boosted by a rock-star construction sector churning out new builds ready to sell.
Just as locals know that the best Elvis is Big Elvis at Harrah’s, they also know that Vegas is a safe bet. Sure, it’s hot in the summer (like use-an-oven-mitt-to-touch-your-steering-wheel hot) and full of tourists screaming, “What happens in Vegas….” but the numbers don’t lie. Real estate agents looking for a hot spot to start their businesses should absolutely consider Sin City.
2. Los Angeles, CA
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Las Vegas isn’t the country’s only western, desert-like real estate hot spot. The City of Angels comes in at number two on our best places for real estate list, and it’s well-deserved. Beyond the film sets, NFL teams, NBA teams, MLB teams, clogged freeways, and tar pits, it is a bustling metropolis with chic homes and super-star agents. This mecca is where Josh Flagg and the Altman Brothers lob sarcasm at each other and where the cast of Selling Sunset show properties in sky-high heels.
According to our extensive calculations, it ranks third for agent opportunity and third for house median price (a whopping $1,200,000). Perhaps even more impressively, it ranks as number one for overall real estate commission opportunities. Los Angeles has higher prices than most other cities and more homes for sale (10,044 units, which puts them ninth in inventory). This market means agents who work hard have greater earning potential.
Those ‘in the know’ don’t drive from Santa Monica to Pasadena, but they do make the drive to El Sauz in Glendale for the city’s best burrito. They also know how to wheel, deal, and make the most of one of the best cities for real estate agents.
3. Boston, MA
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Boston has so much going for it: beautiful parks, hundreds of years of history, plenty of sports teams, and a great sense of humor. It also has an excellent market for real estate agents; for that, Boston is number three on our list of top cities for real estate.
We’ll start with the low rates of competition. For every 1,000 people, we find only 0.4 of an agent, which is better than every other city we analyzed except for two. Boston ranked third for location quotient (a measure of the prevalence of an occupation in an area relative to the US average). These stats helped Boston reach second place for agent employment opportunities. High rents allow it to rank second, and median housing prices (almost $1 million) put Beantown in fifth place, a solid number for commission-based agents.
The only place Boston fell short was in pro-team season records. No, no, I kid. Boston didn’t fare as well in terms of growth opportunities. The stats show that Boston is growing (0.53%), but not at the Los Angeles and Las Vegas rates. Still, if you love to laugh and don’t like Bill Belichick, now is the time to move to Boston and take advantage of all that the Boston real estate industry offers.
4. Charlotte, NC
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Charlotte’s tagline is “Charlotte’s got a lot,” which is charmingly unassuming. Got a lot of what? Mosquitoes? Traffic? Midwestern transplants? It turns out that Charlotte has a lot of opportunities for success in real estate. It comes in fourth on our list of the best cities to be a real estate agent, and it’s clear why: everyone wants to be there. Seriously, it had the second highest population growth rate of all 64 cities (2.38%), and the job market is keeping pace, with a healthy 2.5% growth.
Add to this that Charlotte ranks eighth for new build permits, and it’s clearly one of the best cities to be a real estate agent. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s all easy success for agents in the Queen City (I was serious about the traffic). Some stats need further consideration. For example, Charlotte comes in 15th for employment opportunity, which indicates more competition (about one agent per 1,000 people) and a lower average take-home pay ($56,760, ranking 42nd).
But don’t let those stats scare you away from all the things that Charlotte has. The statistical trends are clear: Charlotte is growing by leaps and bounds, and smart agents are there, carving out their niches, ready to sell to the next frozen Midwesterner looking for a warmer life down south.
5. Washington, D.C.
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The nation’s capital is a city of opposites: it’s full of Southern efficiency and Northern charm; it’s the seat of government but has no voting representation in Congress. It is beautiful yet built on a swamp; it’s a transient community with steadfast loyalty from true Washingtonians. In keeping with that trend, Washington ranks highly on employment opportunity (fifth) and commission opportunity (fifth) but not well on growth opportunity (25th). But it still ranks highly enough that it’s our fifth best place to be a realtor.
Let’s start with the good news: it has low competition and high wages ($74,930). Also, because median housing prices are relatively high ($615,000), rent is high, and houses get snapped up pretty quickly (median days on market is 50), which bodes well for real estate professionals and home sellers.
Washington, D.C., falls a little short in population growth, trending upward but not nearly at the pace of our number four spot, Charlotte. The job market is also growing, but not at the pace we see in other cities. Washington, D.C., currently ranks 40th for percentage of job growth (1.4%). But, despite the slower growth, new building permits are soaring in this city of contradictions.
6. Dallas, TX
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Everything is bigger in Texas, including the real estate opportunities. Take a peek at the real estate news from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). It’s all massive development deals and multi-million dollar sales because, again, everything is bigger in Texas. But that’s precisely why it’s one of the best places to be a real estate agent.
The data is a bit of a mixed bag, but some numbers might prove enticing to real estate agents. The most promising is the average take-home pay, which is $79,210 and ranks 10th out of 64 cities. The availability of brokerages is also high, meaning it’s less challenging to find employment. However, competition is high, with almost 2.5 agents for every 1,000 people. I find this surprising as getting your Texas real estate license is especially time-consuming, and they have pretty much zero reciprocity with other states.
The median housing prices are in the middle of the stack of cities ($439,000, 28th), as are the days on the market data point (58 days, ranking 34th). However, Dallas shines with its above-average inventory, ranking fourth. Plus, inventory will improve as builders complete the properties for the 66,557 permits pulled (ranking second). All in all, DFW has fine art, wonderful restaurants, a bustling economy, a strong distaste for Houston, a polarizing NFL team, and, most importantly for us, a robust real estate industry.
7. New York, NY
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I bet you were wondering when this little hamlet would show up on our list of the best places to be a real estate agent. New York, the Big Apple, New Amsterdam, the city that never sleeps, is number seven, and that’s because if you can make it here…
New York comes in at number one for average annual salary: $97,780, which is a pretty compelling number for any real estate agent. Plus, New York has 7,161 real estate establishments. I bet that’s more than Starbucks. It’s also (shockingly) not competitive (regarding the number of agents. We should clarify that the world of New York real estate is extremely competitive). New York ranks sixth for agents per 1000 people (only about half of one agent). New York offers the very best employment opportunity of any city we analyzed.
It also does well in terms of commission opportunity: properties are expensive (the median housing price is $799,000, and rent is $3,400). Plus, we see better-than-average inventory. All of this, plus the fact that New York is the de facto capital of everything au courant in art, fashion, food, and finance, puts New York in the top 10 of the best place to be a real estate agent.
8. Nashville, TN
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Nashville is another southern town attracting people (and bachelorette parties) from around the country. Its strong local economy and new-build rush make it one of our top picks for best places to be a real estate agent. While it might sometimes feel too full of transplants, country music stars, and bad drivers, Music City still has a way to charm you, especially when you consider that it ranks fourth in commission opportunity.
Housing prices are pretty strong (with a median house price at $575,000 and rent circling $2,145), and it’s a white-hot market that ranks fourth for fewest days on the market (44 days). Nashville is also a city that’s getting bigger, with a steady population growth rate and an economy to match. While pretty unexceptional right now, inventory is sure to improve, as Nashville ranks 11th in new residential construction permits.
But Nashville offers room for improvement with very few brokerages (only 594, ranking 42nd). But worse than that, Nashville ranks dead last for annual wages—64th for salary, coming in at $39,550. Tennessee, we can do better! Maybe that’s the biggest enticement of all to move to Nashville. Not that you might see Taylor Swift at a cupcake shop, but that you see so much opportunity in the future of Nashville real estate and want to up that wage average! It has to happen, and you’re the agent to do it. Please say hi to Taylor for us.
9. Austin, TX
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People who live in Austin know three certainties: it’s a fire-hot real estate market, the city is constantly changing, and you should get your green chile pork missionary style at Torchy’s. While most strive to keep Austin weird, tech industry transplants continue to have an impact, driving up housing costs (and adding to the traffic). However, periods of change and growth mean real opportunities, especially for enterprising real estate agents. And that’s precisely why Austin landed on our list of top cities for real estate agents.
Let’s start with how much agents generally make: $82,170. That puts Austin as the sixth-best city for wages. Austin also has pretty exceptional commission opportunities: the median housing price sits at $630,000 (ranking 14th), an average monthly rent ranks 14th, and a steady inventory (also 14th). But Austin really shines with its growth potential: it ranks second out of all the cities, bested only by Raleigh, NC. Austin’s population growth rate is 2.06%, and the job growth rate is keeping pace at 2.8%. Perhaps most excitingly, for agents, almost 40,000 new build construction permits are ready to go.
Austin looks like a great place for real estate agents, right? Many people have thought the same thing, which is why competition is stiff. Austin ranks near the bottom per capita agents, placing 48th overall. It also ranks really low (51st) in terms of location quotient. The takeaway here is that the opportunities exist. Still, you might have to elbow your way in.
10. Atlanta, GA
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Maybe it’s because Atlanta has so many real estate influencers, but when I think real estate, I think Atlanta. I would argue that not only is Atlanta one of the best cities to be a real estate agent, but Georgia is one of the best places to get a real estate license. It’s relatively quick and affordable, and the upside potential is unlimited.
Let’s break down the numbers. Atlanta scored well in growth (sixth) and commission opportunity (10th). Properties in Atlanta don’t have the highest median prices ($410,000, which ranks 31st), but the inventory is strong. The metro area is also booming, which is clear from the population growth percentage (ranks in the top ten) and job market (ranks 14th). Agents will also love that Atlanta ranks sixth for the number of building permits that have been pulled. So, like many cities on our list, we see tremendous potential for real estate agents to be wildly successful.
Of course, there’s always a caveat. For as well as Atlanta did in some areas, the agent opportunity ranking (40th) is sad. The data shows a lot of competition (~2.7 agents per 1,000 people) and low average wages ($58,250). However, agents who value hard work and have a burning desire to succeed will face no real limitations. After all, if the guy who started a University-of-Georgia-themed restaurant right across the street from Georgia Tech can be successful, you can too.
Worst Five Cities for Real Estate Agents
First, we are not making a value judgment on these beautiful metropolises—we’re just reporting the numbers. Regarding this specific data set, the worst five cities for real estate agents are Charleston, WV; Jackson, MS; Milwaukee, WI; and Bridgeport, CT. At the bottom of the list of 64 is Bozeman, MT.
60. Charleston, WV
- Employment Opportunity: ranks 58th
- Commission Opportunity: ranks 64th
- Growth Opportunity: ranks 22
With only 34 real estate establishments (ranks 64th) and 1.8 agents per 1,000 people (42nd), competition makes Charleston tough for agents. Add to that low listing prices ($173,800, ranks 60th) and ranking 53rd for median days on market (64 days)—it’s just not looking good for our West Virginian agents.
61. Jackson, MS
- Employment Opportunity: ranks 28th
- Commission Opportunity: ranks 62nd
- Growth Opportunity: ranks 57th
Jackson is interesting because its population is growing (1.15%, ranking 15th), but the job growth is in negative numbers (which puts it at the bottom, 64th place). With housing prices sitting at $107,000 (ranks 63rd), the opportunity for higher commissions sinks lower.
62. Milwaukee, WI
- Employment Opportunity: ranks 42nd
- Commission Opportunity: ranks 48th
- Growth Opportunity: ranks 61st
It’s not easy for Milwaukee agents to make much, considering that home prices rank 61st ($170,000) and wages rank 56th ($49,920). That, plus low population growth (ranking 53rd) and slow job growth (ranking 60th), means the future might not be much brighter, at least in the short term.
63. Bridgeport, CT
- Employment Opportunity: ranks 39th
- Commission Opportunity: ranks 54th
- Growth Opportunity: ranks 58th
Salaries soar to $83,850 in Bridgeport, which puts this seaside community in fourth place. But everything else is bad news, from the competition (2.45 agents per 1,000 people) to the extra median days on the market (ranks 47th). Throw in that the population growth is just above stagnant (ranks 52nd), and it might be better to set your GPS for New York, just an hour or two down the road.
64. Bozeman, MT
- Employment Opportunity: ranks 59th
- Commission Opportunity: ranks 39th
- Growth Opportunity: ranks 55th
Bozeman is one of America’s coolest cities, but with few brokerages (only 276) and 2.6 agents per 1,000 people (ranking 53rd), employment is hard to come by, and competition is fierce. While home prices are high ($850,000, ranking seventh), available inventory is awful (ranks 58th). Properties seem to languish on the market; the median is 94 days, putting Bozeman at 63rd. When you pair those rankings with slower population (.88%) and job (1.6%) growth, Bozeman is dead last in our top cities for our real estate agents data dive. My guess? They don’t mind this ranking one bit; keep Bozeman as “big sky country.”
Full Data & Methodology for Best Cities for Real Estate Agents Data
| CITY FINAL RANKING | City/State | CITY FINAL RANKING | City/State |
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | 33 | Jacksonville, FL |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 34 | Trenton, NJ |
| 3 | Boston, MA | 35 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 4 | Charlotte, NC | 36 | Providence, RI |
| 5 | Washington, D.C. | 37 | St. Louis, MO |
| 6 | Dallas, TX | 38 | Detroit, MI |
| 7 | New York, NY | 39 | Boise City, ID |
| 8 | Nashville, TN | 40 | Sioux Falls, SD |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 41 | Portland, ME |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | 42 | New Orleans, LA |
| 11 | San Diego, CA | 43 | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | 44 | Kansas City, MO |
| 13 | Houston, TX | 45 | Dover, DE |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | 46 | Fargo, ND |
| 15 | San Bernardino, CA | 47 | Anchorage, AK |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | 48 | Wichita, KS |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | 49 | Omaha, NE |
| 18 | San Jose, CA | 50 | Honolulu, HI |
| 19 | Manchester, NH | 51 | Jackson, WY |
| 20 | Denver, CO | 52 | Louisville, KY |
| 21 | Chicago, IL | 53 | Norfolk, VA |
| 22 | Sacramento, CA | 54 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 23 | Tampa, FL | 55 | Des Moines, IA |
| 24 | Miami, FL | 56 | Albuquerque, NM |
| 25 | Baltimore, MD | 57 | Burlington, VT |
| 26 | Raleigh, NC | 58 | Birmingham, AL |
| 27 | Portland, OR | 59 | Little Rock, AR |
| 28 | Orlando, FL | 60 | Charleston, WV |
| 29 | San Francisco, CA | 61 | Jackson, MS |
| 30 | Indianapolis, IN | 62 | Milwaukee, WI |
| 31 | Columbus, OH | 63 | Bridgeport, CT |
| 32 | Charleston, SC | 64 | Bozeman, MT |
The full data can be viewed by clicking here, but read our breakdown and methodology below.
Our proprietary tool collated and analyzed data sets from numerous verified sources, ranking each city. We started by dividing all of the data into three categories and then gave each category an equal weight of 33.3%:
- Agent Employment Opportunity
- Agent Commission Opportunity
- Location Growth Opportunity
Our ranking system ensured objectivity and resulted in a score for each city. We first chose cities based on those with more than 1,000 establishments. For states whose cities did not have over 1,000 establishments, we used the city with the highest number of real estate establishments, so we had one city from each state that had below 1,000 establishments.
All the data collected comes from verified sources: the US Census Bureau, Census Business Builder, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Realtor.com, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Zillow.com, and Macrotrends.
Click the tabs below to dive into the individual data and sites:
The agent employment opportunity ranking consists of four categories, which are averaged to find the final ranking. These include:
- Number of real estate establishments per city (data from Census Business Builder): The more establishments there are, the more likely an agent will find employment.
- Annual mean wage (data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics): Higher wages estimate the amount of money agents can make in each city.
- Agent employment per 1,000 people (data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics): Fewer agents per 1,000 is better for agents as they will experience less competition.
- Location quotient (data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics): A measure of the prevalence of an occupation in an area relative to the US average; fewer agents per location gives less competition and more opportunity for agents to succeed.
- Median listing home price (data from Realtor.com): A higher home price means a higher agent commission.
- Available inventory (data from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)): Higher inventory indicates potential for higher sales volume for agents working in the city.
- Median monthly rent (data from Zillow.com): A higher rent price shows a higher agent commission.
- Median days on market (data from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)): Fewer days generally mean the real estate market is more dynamic, offering more sales volume.
- Percentage of population growth rate (data for Macrotrends): A higher population growth indicates that the local economic market is strong and that people continue moving into the area, creating opportunities for real estate agents.
- Percentage of job growth (data from the US Bureau of Statistics): This is a key indicator of a healthy market, meaning opportunities in real estate should follow the same trend.
- New residential construction permits (data from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)): More permits will result in more units, which increases inventory and has the potential for increased sales opportunities.
FAQs
How can this data help my business?
Maybe you’re considering getting your real estate license and want to settle in the best state for real estate. Our breakdown of cities can help you narrow your options with accurate data.
But even if you’re further along in your career, this statistical analysis can be beneficial. Maybe you’re considering opening another office at your brokerage. Perhaps you’re based in Dallas and considering both Houston and Austin. Our data shows that Austin’s potential might be better in the long run.
Regardless of how you use this data, we hope it will help you be more strategic in your planning and, therefore, more successful in your real estate business.
What other statistical data does The Close collect?
We have a collection of articles that explore real estate facts, data, and statistics. While much of our industry involves human interactions, cold, hard numbers can (and should) undoubtedly influence our decisions and help us grow and develop our businesses.
We also break down the numbers every month and read the market pulse. We do a deep dive into the NAR’s existing housing sales and consider reports from Zillow, Redfin, and the Bureau of Labor. We also make predictions for the month ahead, look at the most pressing real estate news, and assess how it affects agents in our industry.
Bringing It All Together
Undoubtedly, a lot goes into what makes the best real estate cities. But for this study, we let the numbers do the talking. While we think there’s a lot of room for improvement (Nashville, get those wages up!), we’re really encouraged by the positive signs of growth and potential in these markets overall.
Now, get in whatever city best suits you and your business, and do what you do. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
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