How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Rhode Island?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $55,460 for Real Estate Agents in Rhode Island as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $47,340 and the 75th-percentile is $64,890.

What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Rhode Island?

The 90th percentile lands at $126,250. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $64,890.

Where does Rhode Island rank for Real Estate Agent pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?

P10 to P90 spans $34,050 to $126,250. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Rhode Island?

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 Rhode Island.

Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Rhode Island agent income?

Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Rhode Island 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.

Is the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Rhode Island 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.

Rhode Island Real Estate Agent Salary: BLS $55K Median, Real $54K (2026)

TL;DR

$55,460 is the BLS median wage for Real Estate Agents in Rhode Island; $54,338 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $47,340 (bottom 25%) to $64,890 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $34,050 to $126,250.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Nominal: #18/51 · Real: #23/51 — ranking shifts by 5 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Rhode Island

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$34,050	$33,361
P25 (lower quartile)	$47,340	$46,382
P50 (median)	$55,460	$54,338
P75 (upper quartile)	$64,890	$63,577
P90 (top tier)	$126,250	$123,696
Mean	$62,570	$61,304
Employment	850 Real Estate Agents in Rhode Island

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Rhode Island index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	102.1
Goods	98.3
Services	145.1
Rents	102.7

Rhode Island's overall RPP (102.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Rhode Island (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)	$55,460	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,517	8.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,684	3.75–5.99% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,243	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$45,016	81.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$44,105	÷ (102.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $45,016 (81.2% of gross). After the 102.1 RPP, real take-home is $44,105.

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. Rhode Island sits at #18 on nominal pay and #23 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Rhode Island falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Rhode Island?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $55,460 for Real Estate Agents in Rhode Island as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $47,340 and the 75th-percentile is $64,890.
What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Rhode Island?: The 90th percentile lands at $126,250. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $64,890.
Where does Rhode Island rank for Real Estate Agent pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?: P10 to P90 spans $34,050 to $126,250. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Rhode Island?: 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 Rhode Island.
Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Rhode Island agent income?: Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Rhode Island 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.
Is the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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.