Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places real estate agents in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +1.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 32,600 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 41/100Higher than 42% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +1.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 32,600BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed real estate agents are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Real Estate Agents land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing for or working directly with the public4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.1/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email4.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for real estate agents
- Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
- Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
- Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
- Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
- Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +1.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 32,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 193,370 people work in the job today, at a median of $52,830 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full real estate agent profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than real estate agents
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $48,520median a year
- Growth
- −3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 113,500
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 54/100
- resilience
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department.
- Median pay
- $69,990median a year
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 36,900
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 44/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate the selling, buying, leasing, or governance activities of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate properties.
Questions
Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents? FAQ
Will AI replace real estate agents?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +1.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 32,600 openings a year.
How exposed are real estate agents to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Real Estate Agents are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a real estate agent's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, working with computers and getting information. The parts that hold up best are resolving conflicts and negotiating with others, performing for or working directly with the public and face-to-face discussions. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a real estate agent a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, real estate agents score 41 out of 100, higher than 42% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $52,830 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to real estate agents are less exposed to AI?
First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers (high exposure, $48,520 median), Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager (high exposure, $69,990 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than real estate agents, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.