How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Idaho?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $37,090 for Real Estate Agents in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $29,180 and the 75th-percentile is $53,740.

How many Real Estate Agents does Idaho employ?

BLS OES counts 1,010 Real Estate Agents employed in Idaho in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Real Estate Agents?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $37,090 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $40,212. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Real Estate Agents comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Idaho?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Idaho.

Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Idaho agent income?

Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Idaho real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.

Commission split, brokerage cap, and team-lead economics in Idaho?

Idaho commission structures are typically 5-6% of sale price, split between buyer and seller side, then split again between brokerage and agent at ratios from 50/50 (entry-level) to 90/10 or 100% post-cap (senior agents at high-cap brokerages like Keller Williams or eXp). A Idaho agent producing $5M in transaction volume at 2.5% gross side commission and a 70/30 post-cap split keeps roughly $87,500 — but must net out brokerage fees, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing, transaction coordinator fees, and self-employment tax. Realistic take-home is typically 50-65% of headline gross commission income. Team-lead and rainmaker agents extract a share of team-member production, which is the primary path to top-quartile earnings in Idaho.

Is the Idaho real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?

The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in Idaho markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in Idaho's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Idaho agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make in Idaho? $37K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Real Estate Agents in Idaho earn a BLS median of $37,090, with real take-home of $40,212 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Nominal: #48/51 · Real: #48/51 — ranking shifts by 0 positions after RPP.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $3,122.
P25-P75 spread runs $29,180 to $53,740; P10 floor $22,410, P90 ceiling $86,940.

Wage breakdown — Idaho

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$22,410	$24,296
P25 (lower quartile)	$29,180	$31,636
P50 (median)	$37,090	$40,212
P75 (upper quartile)	$53,740	$58,264
P90 (top tier)	$86,940	$94,258
Mean	$45,880	$49,742
Employment	1,010 Real Estate Agents in Idaho

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Idaho index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.2
Goods	95.9
Services	68.1
Rents	86.9

Idaho sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 86.9.

After-tax take-home — Idaho (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Real Estate Agent)	$37,090	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,313	6.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,238	5.8% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,837	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$30,702	82.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$33,286	÷ (92.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Idaho state-tax burden means for Real Estate Agent take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $30,702 (82.8% of gross). After the 92.2 RPP, real take-home is $33,286.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $56,320 for Real Estate Agents with mean pay of $70,970 and total employment of 190,600. Idaho sits at #48 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Idaho?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $37,090 for Real Estate Agents in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $29,180 and the 75th-percentile is $53,740.
How many Real Estate Agents does Idaho employ?: BLS OES counts 1,010 Real Estate Agents employed in Idaho in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Real Estate Agents?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $37,090 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $40,212. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Real Estate Agents comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Idaho?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Idaho.
Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Idaho agent income?: Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Idaho real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.
Commission split, brokerage cap, and team-lead economics in Idaho?: Idaho commission structures are typically 5-6% of sale price, split between buyer and seller side, then split again between brokerage and agent at ratios from 50/50 (entry-level) to 90/10 or 100% post-cap (senior agents at high-cap brokerages like Keller Williams or eXp). A Idaho agent producing $5M in transaction volume at 2.5% gross side commission and a 70/30 post-cap split keeps roughly $87,500 — but must net out brokerage fees, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing, transaction coordinator fees, and self-employment tax. Realistic take-home is typically 50-65% of headline gross commission income. Team-lead and rainmaker agents extract a share of team-member production, which is the primary path to top-quartile earnings in Idaho.
Is the Idaho real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?: The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in Idaho markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in Idaho's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Idaho agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 41-9022, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Idaho Real Estate Agent pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.