Realty Publications, Inc.
California DRE
Licensee Profile
for third quarter 2023
Educational profiles from the calendar years 2022 through September 30, 2023, with forward application in 2024.
Published 11/2023
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
- 407,858 Total Individual Licensees
- 98,928 Licensees are Individual Brokers
- 24% of Individual Licencees
- Trend: Slipping
- 308,930 Licensees are Salespersons
- 76% of Individual licensees
- Trend: Slipping
Individual Brokers
- 50,617 Independent Brokers
- 18,973 Broker-Associates
- 29,338 Employing Brokers
- 89,359 Active Brokers
- 9,569 Inactive Brokers
Salespersons
- 223,739 Active Salespersons
- 66,287 licensed within four years
- 85,191 Inactive Salespersons
- 25,358 licensed within four years
- 91,645 Total Licensed Salespersons within 4 years
MLO-Endorsed Licensees
- 19,257 Licensees are MLO-Endorsed
- 4.7% of licensees
- 10,456 Brokers are MLO-Endorsed
- 8,801 Salespersons are MLO-Endorsed
Licensees in our 8 largest counties
Individual Brokers
- 22,405 Los Angeles
- 12,882 Orange
- 9,248 San Diego
- 4,816 Riverside
- 4,200 Santa Clara
- 3,003 San Bernardino
- 2,923 Alameda
- 2,711 Sacramento
Active Salespersons
- 58,244 Los Angeles
- 26,865 Orange
- 21,049 San Diego
- 15,708 Riverside
- 10,984 San Bernardino
- 9,988 Santa Clara
- 8,269 Sacramento
- 7,051 Alameda
Inactive Salespersons
- 24,751 Los Angeles
- 11,319 Orange
- 7,952 San Diego
- 5,365 Riverside
- 3,401 Santa Clara
- 3,376 San Bernardino
- 2,716 Alameda
- 2,611 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
- 20,926 Newly issued Salesperson licenses
- Trend: Down
- 49% Pass rate on state exam
- Trend: Slipping
Renewing Salespersons 2022
- 76,217 Expiring Salesperson licenses
- 53,780 Renewing Salespersons
- 75% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Salespersons 2023
- 74,173 Expiring Salesperson licenses
- -2.68% change compared to 2022
Renewing Salespersons 2024
- 67,542 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
- 26,559 Renewing Brokers
- 92% renewal rate
- Trend: Down
Renewing Brokers 2023
- 25,290 Expiring Broker licenses
- -6.6% change compared to 2022
Renewing Brokers 2024
- 24,987 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?
9.8% of brokers are inactive.
What percentage of licensed salespersons are inactive?
27.6% of salespersons are inactive.
How many new salespersons entered the workforce in 2023 compared to brokers?
Six 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?
138 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 25 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?
65 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?
31 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?
24 real estate schools are approved for Fair Housing and Implicit Bias in their continuing education for licensees.