Realty Publications, Inc.
California DRE
Licensee Profile
for fourth quarter 2023
Educational profiles from the calendar years 2022 through December 31, 2023, with forward application in 2024.
Published 04/2024
Licensee trends in real estate education
To assist in your analyses of the ongoing educational needs of the real estate licensee population in California, Realty Publications, Inc. (RPI) publishes the quarterly California DRE Licensee Profile.
Trends in the number of licenses issued and renewed annually are pointed out based on analysis of data available from the Department of Real Estate (DRE). Our data analyses include:
- the current populations of active and inactive salespersons, independent brokers, broker-associates, and MLO-endorsed licensees;
- the licensee population profile in California’s eight largest counties; and
- educational profiles from the 2022-2023 calendar year, with forward application in 2024.
This report is designed to help you anticipate the evolving real estate licensing patterns, all courtesy of RPI.
California’s DRE licensee population
Individual Licensees
- 408,945 Total Individual Licensees
- 98,597 Licensees are Individual Brokers
- 24% of Individual Licencees
- Trend: Slipping
- 310,348 Licensees are Salespersons
- 76% of Individual licensees
- Trend: Slipping
Individual Brokers
- 50,287 Independent Brokers
- 18,997 Broker-Associates
- 29,313 Employing Brokers
- 89,255 Active Brokers
- 9,372 Inactive Brokers
Salespersons
- 222,815 Active Salespersons
- 65,868 newly licensed within four years
- 87,533 Inactive Salespersons
- 27,260 newly licensed within four years
- 93,128 Total Licensed Salespersons within 4 years
MLO-Endorsed Licensees
- 17,652 Licensees are MLO-Endorsed
- 4.3% of licensees
- 9,669 Brokers are MLO-Endorsed
- 7,983 Salespersons are MLO-Endorsed
Licensees in our 8 largest counties
Individual Brokers
- 22,405 in Los Angeles
- 12,882 in Orange County
- 9,248 in San Diego
- 4,816 in Riverside
- 4,200 in Santa Clara
- 3,003 in San Bernardino
- 2,923 in Alameda
- 2,711 in Sacramento
Active Salespersons
- 58,244 in Los Angeles
- 26,865 in Orange County
- 21,049 in San Diego
- 15,708 in Riverside
- 10,984 in San Bernardino
- 9,988 in Santa Clara
- 8,269 in Sacramento
- 7,051 in Alameda
Inactive Salespersons
- 24,751 in Los Angeles
- 11,319 in Orange County
- 7,952 in San Diego
- 5,365 in Riverside
- 3,401 in Santa Clara
- 3,376 in San Bernardino
- 2,716 in Alameda
- 2,611 in Sacramento
Ratio of home sales volume to active salespersons
- 1.84 in Riverside
- 1.79 in Sacramento
- 1.32 in San Diego
- 1.26 in Santa Clara
- 0.99 in Los Angeles
- 0.89 in Orange County
Education Profiles for Salespersons
Newly issued licenses
- 21,024 Newly issued Salesperson licenses
- Trend: Down
- 49% Pass rate on state exam
- Trend: Slipping
Renewing Salespersons 2022
- 76,217 Expiring Salesperson licenses
- 57,163 Renewing Salespersons
- 75% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Salespersons 2023
- 74,173 Expiring Salesperson licenses
- -2.68% change compared to 2022
- 54,146 Renewals
- 73% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Salespersons 2024
- 67,413 Expiring Salesperson licenses
- -9.1% change compared to 2023
Education Profiles for Brokers
Newly issued broker licenses
- 829 Broker licenses issues to salespersons
- Trend: Down
- 51% Pass rate on state exam
- Trend: Up
Renewing Brokers 2022
- 27,084 Expiring Broker licenses
- 25,188 Renewing Brokers
- 93% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Brokers 2023
- 25,290 Expiring Broker licenses
- -6.6% change compared to 2022
- 23,014 Renewals
- 91% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Brokers 2024
- 24,982 Expiring Broker licenses
- -1.2% change compared to 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of licensed Brokers are attorneys?
3.1% of Brokers are attorneys.
What is the gender ratio of DRE licensees?
The gender ratio for DRE licensees is 50:50.
What percentage of brokers are inactive?
9.5% of brokers are inactive.
What percentage of licensed salespersons are inactive?
28.2% of salespersons are inactive.
How many new salespersons entered the workforce in 2023 compared to brokers?
Seven times as many new salespersons entered the workforce in 2023.
How many real estate schools are approved to provide the two mandatory statutory licensing courses plus at least one elective in California?
93 real estate schools are approved to provide the two mandatory statutory licensing courses plus at least one elective in California.
How many real estate correspondence schools have Real Estate Practice approved for 2024?
Only 44 real estate correspondence schools have Real Estate Practice approved for 2024.
How many real estate schools are approved to provide continuing education for licensees in California?
64 real estate schools are approved to provide continuing education for licensees in California.
How many live real estate schools have the two mandatory statutory licensing courses plus at least one elective in California?
20 live real estate schools are approved to provide the two mandatory/one elective in California (not including community colleges).
How many real estate schools are approved to provide Fair Housing and Implicit Bias in their continuing education for licensees?
34 real estate schools are approved for Fair Housing and Implicit Bias in their continuing education for licensees.