There’s a lot that goes into selling a home, but it usually all starts with a realtor. Oftentimes, a realtor’s success in selling a home can come down to conditions that are out of their control, such as the market they operate within. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market has seen an increase in Americans purchasing homes, giving current and potential real estate agents more incentive to ramp up their careers.
With this in mind, the Today’s Homeowner team decided to find out which U.S. cities are the best for real estate agents. We analyzed data from the 100 largest cities, using factors such as the city’s median home value, days on market, annual wage, and more. Here is what we found:
Based on the data collected, Las Vegas, Nevada, is the best city for real estate agents. Sin City has the highest monthly percentage of homes for sale, with 0.77% of its real estate on the market. Homes in the city also spend one of the least amount of days on the market, at just over 65 days.
Though the city of Las Vegas takes the cake in terms of best city for real estate agents, Arizona proves to be the best state for real estate agents with five cities in the top 15, the most of any state. The suburbs of Phoenix are the place to be if you are a real estate agent, as all five of Arizona’s cities in the top 15 are within 25 miles of the state’s capital city.
The 15 Best U.S. Cities for Real Estate Agents
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Gilbert, Arizona
- Chandler, Arizona
- Orlando, Florida
- Henderson, Nevada
- Boise, Idaho
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Glendale, Arizona
- Seattle, Washington
- Aurora, California
- Chesapeake, Virginia
- North Las Vegas, Nevada
- Arlington, Texas
- Mesa, Arizona
- Denver, Colorado
Detroit proves to be the worst city for real estate agents. Motor city has the highest median price cut at 7.61%. This means that when the house gets marked down, it’s by almost 8%. The city also has one of the worst annual median wages for the industry, with Detroit real estate agents earning a median wage of $39,200.
The 15 Worst U.S. Cities for Real Estate Agents
- Detroit, Michigan
- Cleveland, Ohio
- New York, New York
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Buffalo, New York
- Chicago, Illinois
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Newark, New Jersey
- Toledo, Ohio
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Laredo, Texas
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Honolulu, Hawaii
The Best U.S. Cities for Real Estate Agents
Ranking | City | State | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Las Vegas | Nevada | 45.6 |
2 | Gilbert | Arizona | 45.5 |
3 | Chandler | Arizona | 44.2 |
4 | Orlando | Florida | 44.0 |
5 | Henderson | Nevada | 43.1 |
6 | Boise | Idaho | 43.1 |
7 | Scottsdale | Arizona | 43.0 |
8 | Glendale | Arizona | 42.7 |
9 | Seattle | Washington | 42.6 |
10 | Aurora | Colorado | 41.9 |
11 | Chesapeake | Virginia | 41.8 |
12 | North Las Vegas | Nevada | 41.6 |
13 | Arlington | Texas | 41.5 |
14 | Mesa | Arizona | 41.5 |
15 | Denver | Colorado | 40.6 |
16 | Virginia Beach | Virginia | 40.5 |
17 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 40.3 |
18 | Colorado Springs | Colorado | 40.2 |
19 | Phoenix | Arizona | 40.1 |
20 | Atlanta | Georgia | 39.6 |
21 | Plano | Texas | 39.6 |
22 | Austin | Texas | 39.5 |
23 | Garland | Texas | 38.9 |
24 | Columbus | Ohio | 38.8 |
25 | Fort Worth | Texas | 38.7 |
26 | Norfolk | Virginia | 38.5 |
27 | Irving | Texas | 38.3 |
28 | Houston | Texas | 38.2 |
29 | San Jose | California | 37.9 |
30 | Fremont | California | 37.7 |
31 | Raleigh | North Carolina | 37.5 |
32 | Tampa | Florida | 37.3 |
33 | Richmond | Virginia | 37.2 |
34 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | 37.1 |
35 | Fort Wayne | Indiana | 37.1 |
36 | San Francisco | California | 37.1 |
37 | Bakersfield | California | 36.9 |
38 | Irvine | California | 36.9 |
39 | Albuquerque | New Mexico | 36.5 |
40 | Saint Petersburg | Florida | 36.0 |
41 | Dallas | Texas | 36.0 |
42 | Wichita | Kansas | 35.8 |
43 | Anchorage | Alaska | 35.4 |
44 | San Diego | California | 35.4 |
45 | Chula Vista | California | 35.3 |
46 | Sacramento | California | 35.3 |
47 | Hialeah | Florida | 35.0 |
48 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 35.0 |
49 | Fresno | California | 34.9 |
50 | Reno | Nevada | 34.9 |
51 | Spokane | Washington | 34.4 |
52 | Tucson | Arizona | 34.4 |
53 | Anaheim | California | 34.4 |
54 | San Antonio | Texas | 34.3 |
55 | El Paso | Texas | 34.1 |
56 | Washington | D.C. | 34.1 |
57 | Los Angeles | California | 34.0 |
58 | Louisville | Kentucky | 33.9 |
59 | Santa Ana | California | 33.7 |
60 | Riverside | California | 33.7 |
61 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 33.4 |
62 | Omaha | Nebraska | 33.2 |
63 | Long Beach | California | 33.2 |
64 | Boston | Massachusetts | 32.7 |
65 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 32.4 |
66 | Lincoln | Nebraska | 32.4 |
67 | Miami | Florida | 32.2 |
68 | Lexington | Kentucky | 32.0 |
69 | Lubbock | Texas | 31.8 |
70 | Durham | North Carolina | 31.1 |
71 | Nashville | Tennessee | 31.0 |
72 | Portland | Oregon | 30.9 |
73 | Jersey | New Jersey | 30.4 |
74 | Madison | Wisconsin | 30.3 |
75 | Oakland | California | 30.2 |
76 | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 30.1 |
77 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | 30.0 |
78 | Corpus Christi | Texas | 30.0 |
79 | Stockton | California | 29.9 |
80 | Cincinnati | Ohio | 29.8 |
81 | Kansas | Missouri | 29.6 |
82 | Greensboro | North Carolina | 29.6 |
83 | Saint Louis | Missouri | 29.1 |
84 | Jacksonville | Florida | 28.7 |
85 | Memphis | Tennessee | 28.4 |
86 | Honolulu | Hawaii | 28.4 |
87 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 27.8 |
88 | Laredo | Texas | 26.6 |
89 | Saint Paul | Minnesota | 26.5 |
90 | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | 26.5 |
91 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 26.4 |
92 | Toledo | Ohio | 26.1 |
93 | Newark | New Jersey | 25.9 |
94 | Baltimore | MD | 24.1 |
95 | Chicago | Illinois | 23.8 |
96 | Buffalo | New York | 23.2 |
97 | New Orleans | Louisiana | 22.3 |
98 | New York | New York | 22.2 |
99 | Cleveland | Ohio | 20.2 |
100 | Detroit | Michigan | 17.0 |
Methodology
To find the best cities for real estate agents, we analyzed data from the 100 largest cities in the U.S. We ranked the cities using seven factors each at an equal weight. Each city was graded on a 70-point scale, with a score of 70 being the perfect location for real estate agents.
We then calculated each city’s average across all factors to determine its overall score and used the results to rank-order our sample.
- Median Sale Price
- Percent of Homes for Sale Monthly (Monthly Home Sales/Number of Housing Units)
- Median Days on Market
- Real Estate Employment per 1000 jobs
- Annual Median Wage of Real Estate Agents
- Median Price Cut (%)
- Cost of Living
Sources
- Redfin
- Zillow Inventory and Sales Data
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
- Numbeo
- The U.S. Census Bureau
