Real Estate Sales Agents Salary
Real Estate Sales Agents in Asheville, NC make a median of $45,640 a year, or about $21.94 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $78K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.51), that's roughly $47,290 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,567/month, about 49.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $46K get you in Asheville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Asheville’s Regional Price Parity (96.51). 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 sales agents
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What this looks like in Asheville
Pay for real estate sales agents in Asheville runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $53K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,567/month, which is 51.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.51) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for real estate sales agentss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for real estate sales agents in metros near Asheville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $64K | $66K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $50K | $51K |
| Wilmington | $42K | $44K |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $60K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Asheville, NC
Entry-level real estate sales agents (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $78K or more, a $48K spread from bottom to top.
Real Estate Sales Agents pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Real Estate Sales Agents salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $124K | +134% | 590 |
| New York | $103K | +95% | 8,660 |
| New Jersey | $100K | +89% | N/A |
| Alaska | $89K | +69% | 170 |
| Nevada | $80K | +51% | 1,490 |
| Washington | $79K | +50% | 5,150 |
| Montana | $79K | +50% | 370 |
| New Mexico | $76K | +44% | 550 |
| North Dakota | $74K | +40% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $65K | +23% | 640 |
| Virginia | $64K | +21% | 5,750 |
| Colorado | $64K | +21% | 6,120 |
| Oregon | $62K | +17% | 1,940 |
| Alabama | $61K | +15% | 1,580 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +14% | N/A |
| Illinois | $59K | +12% | 6,030 |
| West Virginia | $59K | +12% | 370 |
| Arizona | $59K | +11% | 5,610 |
| Kentucky | $59K | +11% | 1,120 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +10% | 5,680 |
| Michigan | $58K | +10% | 2,210 |
| New Hampshire | $58K | +9% | 240 |
| California | $58K | +9% | 17,500 |
| Maine | $57K | +8% | 740 |
| South Carolina | $57K | +7% | 4,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $56K | +6% | 5,510 |
| Maryland | $53K | -0% | 2,940 |
| North Carolina | $51K | -3% | 7,960 |
| Utah | $51K | -4% | 4,240 |
| Wyoming | $50K | -5% | 300 |
| Florida | $49K | -7% | 26,790 |
| Oklahoma | $48K | -9% | 3,710 |
| Nebraska | $47K | -11% | 1,400 |
| Delaware | $47K | -11% | 900 |
| Indiana | $47K | -11% | 3,680 |
| Connecticut | $47K | -11% | N/A |
| Georgia | $47K | -12% | 9,940 |
| Minnesota | $46K | -12% | 2,530 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -12% | 2,360 |
| Ohio | $46K | -12% | 5,130 |
| Hawaii | $46K | -13% | 690 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -13% | 1,940 |
| Texas | $46K | -13% | 22,250 |
| Missouri | $44K | -17% | 1,590 |
| Idaho | $40K | -25% | 1,170 |
| Kansas | $40K | -25% | 1,450 |
| Mississippi | $40K | -25% | 670 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -28% | 1,640 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track real estate sales agents salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Asheville numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a real estate sales agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in Asheville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 51.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,567/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for real estate sales agents in Asheville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new real estate sales agents typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,799/month. At HUD’s $1,567/month FMR, rent would take 87% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is real estate sales agent a high-paying job in Asheville?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $46K here vs. $53K nationally.
How does Asheville compare to the national average for real estate sales agents?
Asheville pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $53K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — below the national median.
How much do real estate sales agents make in Asheville, NC?
The median is $45,640 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,990, and experienced real estate sales agents can clear $77,870. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Asheville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,055/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,567/month, which eats 51.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a real estate sales agents salary go in Asheville?
Asheville has a Regional Price Parity of 96.51 (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 sales agents salary is worth about $47,290 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do real estate sales agents 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.