How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Massachusetts?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $85,170 for Real Estate Agents in Massachusetts as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,890 and the 75th-percentile is $101,310.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Real Estate Agent salary in Massachusetts?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.7 for Massachusetts), the real-wage equivalent is $79,099 — what the $85,170 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $55,621 to $94,089.

Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.

Where does Massachusetts rank for Real Estate Agent pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Massachusetts ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?

P10 to P90 spans $43,960 to $205,350. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Massachusetts's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?

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 Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Real Estate Agent Salary: BLS $85K Median, Real $79K (2026)

TL;DR

Massachusetts pays Real Estate Agents a BLS median of $85,170 — the more useful number is $79,099, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Quartile range $59,890 (bottom 25%) to $101,310 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $43,960 to $205,350.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #5 of 51; nominal rank is #3.

Wage breakdown — Massachusetts

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$43,960	$40,827
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,890	$55,621
P50 (median)	$85,170	$79,099
P75 (upper quartile)	$101,310	$94,089
P90 (top tier)	$205,350	$190,713
Mean	$93,450	$86,789
Employment	Real Estate Agents in Massachusetts

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Massachusetts index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.7
Goods	100.0
Services	166.1
Rents	130.1

Massachusetts is a high-cost state — RPP 107.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (130.1) and services (166.1).

After-tax take-home — Massachusetts (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)	$85,170	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,984	11.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,259	5% flat 2026 (4% surtax above $1M)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,516	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$64,412	75.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$59,820	÷ (107.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $64,412 (75.6% of gross). After the 107.7 RPP, real take-home is $59,820.

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. Massachusetts sits at #3 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Massachusetts falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Massachusetts?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $85,170 for Real Estate Agents in Massachusetts as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,890 and the 75th-percentile is $101,310.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Real Estate Agent salary in Massachusetts?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.7 for Massachusetts), the real-wage equivalent is $79,099 — what the $85,170 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $55,621 to $94,089.
Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.
Where does Massachusetts rank for Real Estate Agent pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Massachusetts ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?: P10 to P90 spans $43,960 to $205,350. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Massachusetts a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Real Estate Agents?: No — Massachusetts's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?: 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 Massachusetts.

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 Massachusetts 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.