The residential real estate sales profession is dominated by women. According to the National Association of Realtors, women have been involved in the U.S. real estate industry since its earliest days. Starting in the late 1800s, women began to move out of administrative roles and into agent and broker roles, although at a slow rate. Now nearly a century and a half later, women account for 56% of all real estate agents according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. While women make up the majority of real estate agents, they are much more likely to work part time than men. Among female real estate agents, 43% work part time. Male part-time real estate agents account for a much lower share, at just 27%. Real estate agents are paid on a commission basis (not salaried) and have flexible schedules, making the real estate sales profession much more accommodating to part-time schedules than many other jobs.
Because the real estate profession offers high earnings potential, flexible schedules for families, and a low barrier to entry, it attracts a large number of women who are looking for a career change, a second job, or coming back to the workforce after a career break. Real estate agents can often do much of their work from home and set their own hours, which is especially appealing to women with young children. In all but 10 states, women make up the majority of real estate agents. Rhode Island claims the highest share of female real estate agents, with women accounting for 89% of total. At 82%, New Mexico also has a high share of female agents. Conversely, Mississippi and South Dakota have the lowest shares of women in real estate, at just 42.8% and 34.4%, respectively.
To find the metropolitan areas with the most female real estate agents, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Zillow. The researchers ranked metros according to the percentage of real estate agents that are women. Researchers calculated the median annual earnings for real estate agents, the concentration of real estate agents compared to the national share, and median home price. Only large metros with populations of one million or more were included in the analysis.
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