531/Real Estate
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
1.82M
employees, 2023
1.82M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 414,824 US Real Estate business locations employed 1.82 million people and paid $126.3 billion in annual payroll, $69,396 per employee on average. Employment was up 1.0% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
414,824
+0.5% vs 2022
Employees
1,819,631
+1.0% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$126.3B
+1.1% vs 2022
Average pay
$69,396
+0.1% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Real Estate in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 58,906 | 250,572 | $80,192 | 1.53% |
| Florida | 43,189 | 164,840 | $60,313 | 1.65% |
| Texas | 32,915 | 162,423 | $75,397 | 1.35% |
| New York | 31,441 | 157,975 | $76,840 | 1.80% |
| Illinois | 12,121 | 58,642 | $79,803 | 1.04% |
| Georgia | 13,588 | 57,966 | $75,069 | 1.32% |
| Washington | 12,407 | 51,678 | $71,382 | 1.69% |
| North Carolina | 14,088 | 50,858 | $61,250 | 1.19% |
| Ohio | 9,856 | 50,728 | $63,619 | 1.00% |
| New Jersey | 9,023 | 49,995 | $71,494 | 1.27% |
| Virginia | 10,362 | 49,110 | $73,018 | 1.37% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,884 | 48,442 | $68,929 | 0.85% |
| Arizona | 11,501 | 47,109 | $71,164 | 1.63% |
| Michigan | 7,649 | 44,694 | $59,776 | 1.11% |
| Massachusetts | 7,520 | 43,612 | $85,638 | 1.25% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Real Estate employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 33,059 | 173,379 | $79,578 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 24,352 | 109,511 | $82,006 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 10,072 | 64,184 | $82,754 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 14,661 | 60,590 | $63,679 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 10,141 | 51,921 | $84,127 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 8,047 | 48,052 | $92,542 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 9,401 | 44,424 | $81,479 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 7,901 | 40,705 | $106,030 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 7,837 | 39,185 | $77,645 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 8,543 | 38,418 | $75,488 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 5,669 | 36,994 | $90,963 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 7,527 | 34,812 | $79,251 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,868 | 30,146 | $78,144 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 5,568 | 29,088 | $63,727 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 5,454 | 26,919 | $65,519 |
Business size
US Real Estate business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 340,469 | 82.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 45,014 | 10.9% |
| 10 to 19 | 17,226 | 4.2% |
| 20 to 49 | 8,012 | 1.9% |
| 50 to 99 | 2,428 | 0.6% |
| 100 to 249 | 1,210 | 0.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 322 | 0.1% |
| 500 to 999 | 113 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 30 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Real Estate and the 3 industries directly below it
Part of Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 53
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5313 | Activities Related to Real Estate | 818,574 | $69,559 |
| 5311 | Lessors of Real Estate | 605,793 | $62,849 |
| 5312 | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 395,264 | $79,090 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Real Estate in the US?
1.82 million people worked at 414,824 US Real Estate business locations in 2023, up 1.0% from 2022. That is 1.30% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Real Estate?
$69,396 a year per employee in 2023, from $126.3 billion in annual payroll (up 0.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Real Estate jobs?
California had the most, with 250,572 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (164,840) and Texas (162,423).
Which metro areas have the most Real Estate jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (173,379), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (109,511), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (64,184) had the most Real Estate employees in 2023.
Are most Real Estate businesses small?
97.1% of the 414,824 Real Estate business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 143 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.