Real Estate Sales Agents salary in Salem, OR
Median pay for real estate sales agents in Salem, OR: $60,460/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $37,900 – $99,050 · about 190 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($50,020) by +$10,440 (+21%).
What it's really worth in Salem
With Salem's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $60,460 has the buying power of about $59,009 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $72,154 · median home $454,689 · median rent $1,628/mo.
How Salem ranks for this job
On raw pay, Salem, OR is 37th of the 167 metros we hold real estate sales agents wages for. Once Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 43rd.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Salem sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Salem
A median home in Salem, OR costs $454,689 — about 7.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,628/mo works out at 32% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where real estate sales agents earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Salem.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Salem | Rent vs Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $103,960 | +72% | 2.2× |
| Buffalo, NY | $83,670 | +38% | 0.9× |
| Rochester, NY | $83,200 | +38% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $80,950 | +34% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in OR
| Metro | Median pay | vs Salem | Rent vs Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | $62,570 | +3% | 1.1× |
| Eugene, OR | $39,760 | −34% | 1.1× |
Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Salem
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 167 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.