There is no single salary that every Illinois real estate broker earns. Many real estate professionals receive transaction-based compensation rather than a fixed annual salary, so income can change significantly from one broker to another and from one year to the next.
Current Illinois occupational wage data provides useful benchmarks, but those figures should not be treated as guaranteed earnings. Your actual income can depend on transaction volume, property values, commission arrangements, brokerage splits, expenses, experience, specialization, market conditions, and how consistently you develop clients.
This guide explains Illinois broker wage data, how real estate compensation works, what can increase or reduce income, and why gross commission is different from the money a broker actually keeps.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security 2025 statewide occupational wage data reports the following estimates for the occupational category Real Estate Brokers:
| Illinois Wage Measure | 2025 Estimate |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level Annual Wage | $41,818 |
| Median Annual Wage | $63,110 |
| Mean Annual Wage | $79,427 |
| Experienced Annual Wage | $97,944 |
| Median Hourly Wage | $30.34 |
These figures are useful benchmarks, not promises of what an individual licensee will earn.
Real estate income can vary substantially because many professionals earn compensation based on completed transactions.
The 2025 Illinois median annual wage for the occupational category Real Estate Brokers is:
$63,110
A median is the middle point of the wage distribution.
It does not mean:
The median is a statistical benchmark across workers included in that occupational wage category.
The 2025 Illinois data reports:
Median Annual Wage: $63,110
and:
Mean Annual Wage: $79,427
These figures measure different things.
The wage at the middle of the distribution.
The arithmetic average of wages included in the estimate.
Higher-earning workers can pull the mean upward, which is one reason the mean can be noticeably higher than the median.
For a career page, the median is often a useful starting benchmark because it is less affected by very high earnings at the upper end.
The same 2025 statewide Illinois data provides:
$41,818 annually
$63,110 annually
$97,944 annually
These figures illustrate how earnings can differ by career stage.
However, a real estate career does not automatically move from one number to another simply because time passes.
Income growth generally depends on actual business development, transaction activity, specialization, market conditions, and professional performance.
This distinction is especially important on an Illinois real estate salary page.
Illinois calls its principal entry-level real estate license:
Broker
However, national occupational statistics separately classify workers as:
Those occupational categories do not map perfectly onto Illinois license titles.
For example, the national occupational definition of a Real Estate Broker can include professionals who manage real estate businesses, while many Illinois licensees holding the title Broker perform client-facing sales activity under a sponsoring broker.
For that reason, no single occupational wage statistic perfectly describes every person holding an Illinois Broker license.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security's 2025 statewide data separately reports the occupational category:
Real Estate Sales Agents
with these figures:
| Wage Measure | 2025 Illinois Estimate |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level Annual Wage | $37,347 |
| Median Annual Wage | $59,760 |
| Mean Annual Wage | $57,782 |
| Experienced Annual Wage | $67,853 |
| Median Hourly Wage | $28.73 |
Why include this on an Illinois Broker page?
Because Illinois licensing terminology differs from the national occupational classification system. Many Illinois entry-level Brokers perform work that resembles what national labor statistics classify as real estate sales-agent activity.
Use both datasets as occupational context rather than treating either one as a guaranteed Illinois Broker income.
For broader comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national median annual wage for:
Real Estate Brokers
was:
$73,220 in May 2025
BLS also reports that nationally:
This wide range helps show why a single "average salary" does not describe every real estate career.
Current occupational data provides the following comparison:
| Benchmark | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Illinois Real Estate Broker Median — 2025 IDES | $63,110 |
| U.S. Real Estate Broker Median — May 2025 BLS | $73,220 |
| Illinois Real Estate Sales Agent Median — 2025 IDES | $59,760 |
| U.S. Real Estate Sales Agent Median — May 2025 BLS | $52,830 |
These are occupational wage statistics.
They should not be interpreted as guaranteed earnings for a particular Illinois license holder.
In a traditional salaried job, an employee may receive a predictable amount such as:
$60,000 per year
paid on a regular payroll schedule.
Real estate compensation can work differently.
Many brokers earn money when transactions successfully close.
That means monthly income can vary.
For example:
No closing.
One closing.
Three closings.
A transaction is delayed until the following month.
The annual total may be meaningful, but the cash flow throughout the year can be irregular.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that real estate brokers and sales agents earn much of their income from:
Commissions on sales
Compensation can depend on:
This makes productivity and business development important parts of income.
A common mistake is assuming every real estate transaction uses one standard percentage.
Real estate compensation is negotiable and can be structured in different ways.
Depending on the brokerage and transaction, compensation may involve:
A new Broker should understand the actual compensation agreement rather than assuming one fixed industry percentage.
This is one of the most important income concepts for new Brokers.
Suppose a transaction generates a certain amount of brokerage compensation.
That entire amount does not necessarily become the individual Broker's personal income.
Compensation may be affected by:
Then the Broker may still have business expenses and taxes.
Therefore:
Transaction Compensation ≠ Personal Take-Home Income
Consider an illustrative example only.
Suppose the compensation credited to the brokerage from a Broker's side of a transaction is:
$8,000
and the Broker's compensation agreement provides a:
70/30 split
The Broker's portion before other applicable expenses would be:
\[
\$8,000 \times 70\% = \$5,600
\]
The brokerage portion would be:
\[
\$8,000 \times 30\% = \$2,400
\]
But the $5,600 is still not necessarily the Broker's final take-home amount.
Other business expenses and taxes may still apply.
Suppose, purely for illustration, a Broker receives an average of:
$4,500 after the brokerage split
from each completed transaction.
If the Broker completes:
\[
5 \times \$4,500 = \$22,500
\]
\[
10 \times \$4,500 = \$45,000
\]
\[
20 \times \$4,500 = \$90,000
\]
This is only an example.
Actual compensation per transaction can be higher or lower, and not every transaction produces the same income.
Two Brokers can close the same number of transactions and still earn different amounts.
Why?
Their transactions may differ in:
For example, 10 transactions involving lower-priced properties may produce different income from 10 higher-value transactions.
Transaction count is important, but it does not tell the whole income story.
Brokerages can use different compensation structures.
Examples may include:
A portion goes to the Broker and a portion to the brokerage.
The Broker's percentage changes after certain production levels.
After the Broker contributes a specified amount to the brokerage, the compensation structure may change.
The Broker may share income with a real estate team in addition to the brokerage.
Some real estate positions may use salary or salary-plus-incentive arrangements.
Always review the actual written compensation agreement.
Suppose Brokerage A offers:
80%
while Brokerage B offers:
70%
It may seem that Brokerage A automatically provides the better financial opportunity.
But Brokerage B might include:
while Brokerage A may require the Broker to pay separately for many of those services.
Compare the complete economic arrangement rather than only the headline split.
Depending on the brokerage, Brokers may encounter costs such as:
Not every brokerage charges every fee.
Ask for a clear explanation of costs before signing a sponsoring-broker agreement.
A Broker may also have independent professional expenses.
Possible costs include:
Your gross income and your net business income can therefore be very different.
Understanding the difference is essential.
Income before applicable business expenses and taxes.
What remains after applicable business expenses.
What remains after applicable taxes and other personal financial obligations.
Someone can advertise:
$100,000 in gross commissions
without personally keeping $100,000.
Suppose a Broker's annual share of transaction compensation totals:
$85,000
During the year, the Broker has:
Total example business expenses:
\[
\$14,000
\]
Income before considering taxes would then be:
\[
\$85,000 - \$14,000 = \$71,000
\]
This example is intentionally simplified.
Actual expenses and tax treatment vary by individual.
Depending on whether a Broker works as:
or
the way taxes are handled can differ.
Independent contractors may need to plan for matters such as:
Tax rules are outside the role of a real estate licensing course.
Brokers should consider working with a qualified tax professional for individual tax advice.
Because transaction income can be irregular, it can be useful to maintain reserves for periods with fewer closings.
Consider planning for:
A transaction expected this month may close next month—or may not close at all.
Financial planning can reduce pressure on individual transactions.
Important factors include:
More successfully completed transactions can create more opportunities for income.
Compensation can vary with the value and type of property.
Not every transaction uses the same compensation structure.
The Broker's agreement with the sponsoring brokerage affects how compensation is divided.
Experienced Brokers may have larger referral networks and stronger client pipelines.
Different Illinois markets have different property prices and transaction activity.
Residential, commercial, leasing, investment, and other areas can have different economics.
Gross income is reduced by business costs.
BLS notes nationally that earnings often increase as real estate professionals gain sales experience.
There are practical reasons for this.
An experienced Broker may develop:
However, experience alone does not guarantee higher earnings.
Business activity still matters.
A newly licensed Broker may start with:
The early career period may involve significant time spent on:
A license gives you access to the profession.
It does not automatically create a full income pipeline.
A new Broker may spend months:
before those activities create closed transactions.
BLS specifically notes that earnings can be irregular, especially for beginners, and that real estate professionals can sometimes go weeks or months without a sale.
Plan for the possibility of uneven early-career income.
A Broker cannot usually depend on licensing alone to generate business.
Client-development methods can include:
Different Brokers build business in different ways.
Consistency is often more important than trying a new marketing strategy every week.
A lead is only a potential opportunity.
A typical path may look like:
Lead
↓
Conversation
↓
Consultation
↓
Active Client
↓
Property Search or Listing
↓
Contract
↓
Closing
↓
Income
Not every lead reaches the final stage.
For that reason, Brokers often need a larger pipeline than the number of transactions they hope to close.
A new Broker usually starts without a large base of past clients.
An experienced Broker may receive business from:
This can reduce dependence on constantly finding entirely new prospects.
Strong service today can contribute to future business years later.
Illinois contains very different real estate markets.
A Broker may work in:
Property values, transaction volume, inventory, competition, and client needs vary across these markets.
Therefore, statewide salary statistics should not be treated as a prediction for every local market.
A higher-priced market can potentially produce larger transaction compensation.
However, it can also involve:
Income depends on the overall business model rather than property prices alone.
Real estate is sensitive to economic and housing-market conditions.
Factors that can affect transaction activity include:
BLS notes that real estate employment and activity can fluctuate with broader economic conditions.
A strong Broker business should be prepared for market changes.
Residential Brokers can earn income through transactions involving:
Income can vary according to:
Some Brokers build businesses primarily around buyers.
Others eventually develop more listing business.
Brokers working in residential leasing may earn compensation from:
Individual leasing transactions may have different economics from property sales.
However, leasing can also provide:
The exact compensation depends on the agreement and transaction.
Commercial real estate may involve:
Transactions can involve larger values but may also:
Do not assume commercial real estate automatically produces higher annual income.
Joining a team can change both the Broker's business opportunities and compensation.
A team may provide:
In exchange, the Broker may have:
Compare the complete arrangement.
A lower percentage with consistent transactions can sometimes produce more income than a higher percentage with no business pipeline.
Some Brokers develop their own client pipeline within a sponsoring brokerage rather than relying heavily on a team.
This can provide more control over:
But the Broker may also personally pay for more:
Again, compare net income, not only gross compensation.
Some Brokers work part-time.
BLS reports nationally that some real estate brokers and sales agents work part-time, although many work full-time and some work more than 40 hours per week.
Part-time earnings can depend on:
Part-time licensing does not create a separate compensation system.
Real estate productivity is not measured only by hours worked.
Two Brokers can work the same number of hours but produce different results because of:
The goal is not simply to stay busy.
The goal is to build activities that can eventually produce clients and completed transactions.
A Broker should consider tracking:
Without accurate records, it can be difficult to know whether the business is actually becoming more profitable.
Income tells you what has already happened.
Activity metrics can help explain why.
Useful measurements can include:
Over time, these numbers can reveal which activities contribute most to your income.
One useful business metric is:
\[
\text{Average Income per Closing}
=
\frac{\text{Total Transaction Income}}{\text{Number of Closings}}
\]
For example, if annual transaction income before business expenses is:
$72,000
from:
16 closed transactions
then:
\[
\$72,000 \div 16 = \$4,500
\]
Average income per closing:
$4,500
This can help with future production planning.
You can also reverse the calculation.
Suppose your gross income goal is:
$90,000
and your estimated average income per completed transaction after applicable brokerage splits is:
$5,000
Then:
\[
\$90,000 \div \$5,000 = 18
\]
You would need approximately:
18 completed transactions
under those assumptions.
This is a planning example only.
Actual results will vary.
If your goal is to personally keep a certain amount, consider expenses.
For example, if you want:
$70,000 before personal taxes
and expect:
$15,000 of annual business expenses
your required business income would need to be higher than $70,000.
A realistic financial plan considers:
Income Goal + Business Expenses + Tax Planning
rather than only gross transaction revenue.
You may find dramatically different Illinois Broker salary figures online.
That can happen because websites may measure different populations.
One source may include:
while another includes:
Always check:
Do not compare numbers without understanding what they measure.
Even official occupational wage estimates should be interpreted carefully.
The 2025 Illinois statewide publication identifies approximately:
990 Real Estate Brokers
within the occupational estimate.
The estimate also has statistical uncertainty because occupational wage data is based on surveys.
In addition, Illinois's legal license title Broker does not perfectly correspond to the national occupational classification of Real Estate Broker.
That is why this page uses official wage data as a benchmark rather than presenting it as a guaranteed Illinois license-holder salary.
Traditional employees may receive employer-provided benefits such as:
Many real estate professionals operate under commission-based or independent contractor arrangements.
In those cases, they may need to arrange and pay for benefits independently.
Review the specific relationship offered by your sponsoring brokerage.
Illinois law recognizes that sponsored licensees can work under:
These structures can affect:
Your sponsoring-broker agreement should clearly explain the relationship and compensation terms.
Before joining a brokerage, understand:
Do not rely only on a verbal statement such as:
"You get 80%."
Ask what the percentage applies to and what other deductions can occur.
Before signing, consider asking:
Knowing these answers makes income comparisons more meaningful.
A Broker seeking to increase income may focus on improving:
Create more potential client opportunities.
Turn more opportunities into active clients.
Create satisfied clients who can generate repeat and referral business.
Become more useful to buyers and sellers.
Maintain relationships with prospects who are not ready immediately.
Manage more business without sacrificing service.
Increasing income generally requires improving the business behind the transactions.
Over time, some Brokers specialize in areas such as:
Specialization can affect:
A higher-value specialization is not automatically more profitable if transaction volume is lower or costs are substantially higher.
An experienced Illinois Broker may eventually qualify for:
Managing Broker licensure
Managing Brokers can have different professional responsibilities and business opportunities.
Depending on their role, they may:
However, Managing Broker licensure does not automatically guarantee higher earnings.
Real estate advertisements sometimes highlight exceptional earnings.
Before entering the profession, understand that the career also involves:
A realistic view of both opportunity and responsibility leads to better career planning.
There is no official timeline.
One Broker may build business quickly through:
Another may need longer to develop:
Do not compare your first few months with another Broker's tenth year.
Monthly income can be misleading because real estate transactions do not close evenly.
A full-year review allows you to compare:
Then you can create a more informed plan for the next year.
At the end of the year, a Broker might review:
| Metric | Example |
|---|---|
| Closed Transactions | 15 |
| Gross Broker Compensation | $82,000 |
| Business Expenses | $17,000 |
| Net Before Personal Taxes | $65,000 |
| Average Income per Closing | $5,467 |
| Referral Transactions | 6 |
This is only an example.
The value of the exercise is understanding how the Broker's own business actually performed.
Instead of asking only:
"What is the Illinois real estate Broker salary?"
also ask:
Those questions provide a more realistic picture of the career.
Sustainable income generally develops from repeatable professional systems rather than one unusually large transaction.
The journey can be viewed like this:
Complete Licensing Requirements
↓
Receive Broker License
↓
Join a Sponsoring Brokerage
↓
Learn Brokerage Systems
↓
Build a Client Pipeline
↓
Represent Clients
↓
Complete Transactions
↓
Receive Applicable Compensation
↓
Pay Business Expenses
↓
Build Repeat and Referral Business
The license creates access to the profession.
A functioning real estate business creates income.
Income is important, but prospective Brokers should understand the work that produces it.
An Illinois real estate career involves:
Illinois Broker Academy provides education and learning resources for individuals preparing to enter the Illinois real estate profession.
If you want to understand the career itself:
Illinois Real Estate Broker Career
If you want to begin licensing:
Become an Illinois Real Estate Broker
If you want licensing requirements:
Illinois Broker License Requirements
If you want to understand licensing expenses:
If you need to compare sponsoring brokerages:
Find a Sponsoring Broker in Illinois
If you want to understand Broker and Managing Broker roles:
The Illinois Department of Employment Security's 2025 statewide occupational wage estimates report a median annual wage of $63,110 for the occupational category Real Estate Brokers. Actual individual earnings can vary widely and should not be expected to match the statistical median.
IDES reports a 2025 mean annual wage of $79,427 for the Illinois Real Estate Brokers occupational category. Mean and median are different measures, and neither is a guaranteed salary.
The 2025 Illinois statewide occupational wage estimate reports a median annual wage of $63,110 for Real Estate Brokers.
The 2025 IDES statewide wage publication reports an entry-level annual estimate of $41,818 for the Real Estate Brokers occupational category.
The 2025 Illinois statewide occupational wage publication reports an experienced annual wage estimate of $97,944 for Real Estate Brokers.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national median annual wage for Real Estate Brokers was $73,220 in May 2025.
Individual earnings can exceed $100,000, but there is no guarantee. National BLS data shows a wide earnings distribution, with the highest 10% of Real Estate Brokers earning more than $143,300 in May 2025. Individual results depend on market, transactions, expenses, compensation arrangements, and other factors.
Sources may use different occupation definitions, data years, geographies, samples, and methodologies. Some also combine brokers and agents, while others use job postings or self-reported income. Always check what the number actually measures.
Illinois uses Broker as its principal entry-level real estate license, while national occupational statistics separately classify Real Estate Brokers and Real Estate Sales Agents. Those occupational categories do not perfectly correspond to Illinois licensing titles.
IDES reports a 2025 Illinois median annual wage of $59,760 for the Real Estate Sales Agents occupational category. This can provide useful additional context because of the difference between Illinois licensing terminology and national occupational classifications.
Not necessarily. Many real estate professionals receive transaction-based or commission compensation. Some employment arrangements may provide salary or hybrid compensation, but there is no universal Illinois Broker salary structure.
Compensation depends on the sponsoring-broker agreement and transaction. Many Brokers earn a share of transaction-related compensation through their sponsoring brokerage.
No universal commission percentage should be assumed. Real estate compensation is negotiable and can be structured in different ways.
Not necessarily. Compensation can be divided according to brokerage agreements, team agreements, referral arrangements, transaction fees, and other applicable terms.
A commission split is an arrangement describing how applicable transaction compensation is divided between the individual Broker and sponsoring brokerage, and sometimes a team or another party according to applicable agreements.
No. A brokerage offering a higher percentage may provide fewer leads, services, technology, or support while charging other expenses. Compare the entire compensation and cost structure.
Possible expenses include brokerage fees, transaction fees, marketing, technology, transportation, professional memberships, education, licensing, and other business costs.
No. Gross transaction income may be reduced by brokerage arrangements, business expenses, and taxes before it becomes personal take-home income.
Many new Brokers begin without established clients, referrals, or transaction experience. National BLS guidance notes that earnings can be irregular, particularly for beginners.
It is possible. BLS notes that real estate earnings can be irregular and that beginners can sometimes go weeks or months without a sale.
Experience can help Brokers develop stronger skills, referral networks, client relationships, and business systems. BLS notes that earnings often increase with sales experience, but experience does not guarantee a specific income.
No. Higher property values may create larger transaction opportunities, but income also depends on competition, transaction volume, expenses, compensation agreements, and the Broker's individual business.
Yes, some Brokers work part-time. Income can vary according to available time, client activity, lead generation, transactions, and brokerage support.
It is possible for individual results to vary substantially, but no income level is guaranteed. Part-time Brokers should build expectations around realistic transaction volume and availability rather than exceptional earning examples.
It depends on the work arrangement. Many real estate professionals operate under independent contractor or commission-based arrangements and may need to arrange their own benefits.
Illinois law recognizes both employment and independent contractor relationships between sponsoring brokers and sponsored licensees. The actual relationship should be identified in the applicable written agreement.
Potential factors include more completed transactions, stronger client conversion, repeat and referral business, market knowledge, specialization, improved lead generation, and effective expense management.
Commercial transactions can involve larger property values, but they can also have longer transaction cycles, specialized requirements, and different costs. Commercial specialization does not automatically guarantee higher annual income.
Managing Broker licensure can create additional career and business opportunities, but the credential alone does not guarantee higher income. Earnings still depend on the professional role and business model.
Ask about compensation split, caps, transaction fees, monthly fees, technology costs, team arrangements, lead-related charges, marketing expenses, referral policies, and exactly how and when compensation is paid.
Estimate your average income per completed transaction, realistic annual transaction volume, brokerage deductions, business expenses, and taxes. Use conservative assumptions when you are new and do not yet have your own historical data.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security publishes statewide and local Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides national occupational wage and career data.