Highlights from the NAR Member Profile

July 16, 2024

More than a quarter of Realtors named lack of inventory and housing affordability as the most important factors limiting potential clients from making a purchase, according to the National Association of Realtors 2024 Member Profile. 

This annual report analyzes members' business activity and demographics from the prior year.

“2023 was a difficult year for Realtors due to high mortgage rates and low housing inventory, which significantly impacted home sales volume,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. “Realtors faced competition at all angles—not only to represent clients but also to ensure their buyers’ offers were accepted amid tough real estate market conditions.”

Below are highlights from the survey:

  • Sixty-five percent of all Realtors were female in 2023, an increase from 62% last year. The median age of Realtors was 55, down from 60 last year. Thirty-five percent were 60 years or older and 4% were less than 30.
  • Seventy-nine percent of Realtors were White in 2023, down from 81% last year. Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 10% of Realtors, followed by Black/African Americans (6%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (4%). New members were more diverse than experienced members. Among those who had two years or less of experience, 40% were non-White.
  • Nearly two out of three Realtors (65%) hold sales agent licenses, while 22% hold broker licenses and 17% hold broker associate licenses. Seventy-four percent of members specialize in residential brokerage. Like 2022, relocation, residential property management and commercial brokerage are members’ most common secondary specialty areas.
  • Members typically have 10 years of real estate experience, down from 11 years in 2022. Seventy-three percent of members are very certain they will remain in the real estate industry for at least two more years. Brokerage specialists had a lower sales volume ($2.5 million vs. $3.4 million), and the typical agent had fewer transactions (10 vs. 12) in 2023 compared to 2022.
  • The typical Realtor earned 20% of their business from previous clients and customers, down from 27% last year. The most experienced members—those with 16 or more years of experience—reported a greater share of repeat business from clients or referrals (a median of 42% in 2023). Similar to 2022, members with two years of experience or less reported no repeat business in 2023. Overall, Realtors earned a median of 21% of their business from referrals, a decrease from 24% in 2022. Referrals were also more common among members with 16 or more years of experience—a median of 29%--compared to no referrals for those with two years or less of experience.
  • The typical Realtor worked 35 hours per week in 2023, slightly less than last year.
  • The median gross income for Realtors decreased to $55,800 in 2023, down from $56,400 in 2022. Realtors with 16 years or more experience had a median gross income of $92,500, up from $80,700 in 2022.
  • A majority of Realtors (53%) worked with an independent company and 88% were independent contractors at their firms—both figures nearly identical to 2022. The typical Realtor had a median tenure of five years with their current firm, down from a median of six years in 2022. Eight percent of members reported working for a firm that was bought or merged in the past two years, down from 26% in 2022.
  • Daily, most Realtors use a smartphone with wireless email and internet capability (96%) and a laptop or desktop computer (91%). The smartphone features that members use most frequently daily are email (94%), social media apps (60%) and GPS (56%). Sixty-four percent of Realtors use multiple listings software daily. Text messaging (94%) is the top method of communication for members with their clients, followed by telephone (91%) and email (89%).
  • More than two-thirds of members (72%) have their own website—44% of which are provided by the member’s firm. For professional purposes, most members use Facebook (77%), Instagram (57%) and LinkedIn (55%).


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].