Real Estate Brokers Salary
Real Estate Brokers in Madison, WI make a median of $66,680 a year, or about $32.06 an hour. The range runs from $61K at the entry level to $119K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.29), that's roughly $68,537 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,168/month, or 26.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $67K get you in Madison?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Madison’s Regional Price Parity (97.29). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About real estate brokers
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What this looks like in Madison
Real estate brokers pay in Madison tracks closely to the national median, $67K locally vs. $73K nationwide, a 9% difference. Rent runs $1,168/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 26.5% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.29) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for real estate brokers in metros near Madison, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $168K | $174K |
| Ames | $41K | $47K |
| Ann Arbor | $70K | $69K |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood | $58K | $61K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Madison, WI
Entry-level real estate brokers (10th percentile) start around $61K. Mid-career wages sit at $67K. Top earners bring in $119K or more, a $58K spread from bottom to top.
Real Estate Brokers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Real Estate Brokers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $111K | +52% | 1,290 |
| Connecticut | $106K | +44% | N/A |
| Utah | $93K | +27% | N/A |
| Washington | $83K | +13% | N/A |
| Alabama | $83K | +13% | 460 |
| Michigan | $83K | +13% | 1,150 |
| Maryland | $82K | +11% | 430 |
| California | $80K | +10% | 8,430 |
| New Mexico | $80K | +10% | N/A |
| Colorado | $80K | +9% | 3,280 |
| Virginia | $77K | +6% | 1,500 |
| Vermont | $77K | +5% | 80 |
| Indiana | $75K | +2% | 740 |
| Hawaii | $74K | +1% | 160 |
| Arizona | $74K | +1% | 3,790 |
| Arkansas | $74K | +1% | 120 |
| North Dakota | $73K | +0% | 80 |
| Kansas | $70K | -4% | 290 |
| Delaware | $69K | -6% | 100 |
| Florida | $66K | -10% | 3,640 |
| Alaska | $66K | -10% | 100 |
| Ohio | $65K | -12% | N/A |
| Texas | $63K | -13% | 2,040 |
| Montana | $63K | -14% | 400 |
| Oregon | $63K | -14% | 1,670 |
| Illinois | $63K | -15% | 990 |
| Missouri | $62K | -15% | 1,980 |
| Tennessee | $60K | -18% | 540 |
| West Virginia | $59K | -19% | 140 |
| Idaho | $58K | -21% | 380 |
| Maine | $55K | -25% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $53K | -28% | 1,560 |
| New Hampshire | $51K | -30% | 120 |
| Iowa | $50K | -32% | N/A |
| Mississippi | $42K | -43% | 60 |
| Minnesota | $40K | -46% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 36 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track real estate brokers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Madison numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a real estate broker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Madison?
Yes — at the median salary of $67K, rent takes 26.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,168/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for real estate brokers in Madison?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new real estate brokers typically earn — is $61K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,686/month. At HUD’s $1,168/month FMR, rent would take 32% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is real estate broker a high-paying job in Madison?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $67K locally vs. $73K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Madison compare to the national average for real estate brokers?
Madison pays $67K median vs. the U.S. average of $73K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.29), the purchasing-power equivalent is $69K — below the national median.
How much do real estate brokers make in Madison, WI?
The median is $66,680 a year, that works out to about $32 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,430, and experienced real estate brokers can clear $118,980. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $67K enough to live in Madison?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,401/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,168/month, which eats 26.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a real estate brokers salary go in Madison?
Madison has a Regional Price Parity of 97.29 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median real estate brokers salary is worth about $68,537 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do real estate brokers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.