The best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts (REITs) are in finance and law. Financial managers earn a median of $166,570 a year and lawyers earn $159,670, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Both numbers are from May 2025, the most recent pay data the BLS has published.
You do not need a law degree to get in the door. REITs also hire analysts, accountants, property managers and leasing agents, and the BLS says some of those jobs typically start with a high school diploma.
Below are ten REIT jobs ranked by median pay, what each one involves, and how fast the BLS expects each field to grow through 2035.
The 10 best paying REIT jobs at a glance
| REIT job | BLS occupation | Median pay, May 2025 | Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Financial manager | Financial managers | $166,570 | 9.7% |
| 2. Real estate attorney | Lawyers | $159,670 | 4.7% |
| 3. Development manager | Construction managers | $114,990 | 9.1% |
| 4. Acquisitions or financial analyst | Financial and investment analysts | $102,740 | 7.2% |
| 5. Accountant | Accountants and auditors | $83,680 | 5.0% |
| 6. Investor relations specialist | Public relations specialists | $74,750 | 1.8% |
| 7. Real estate broker | Real estate brokers | $73,220 | 0.8% |
| 8. Property or real estate manager | Property, real estate, and community association managers | $69,990 | 3.7% |
| 9. Appraiser | Property appraisers and assessors | $67,960 | 3.5% |
| 10. Leasing or sales agent | Real estate sales agents | $52,830 | 1.7% |
Pay is the national median for each occupation across all industries, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for May 2025. It is not REIT-only pay. Growth is the BLS employment projection for 2025 to 2035. For comparison, the median for all occupations is $50,980 and the average projected growth is 3.5%.
Two things stand out. Every job on the list pays more than the $50,980 median for all U.S. workers. And the finance jobs are growing far faster than the sales jobs, which matters if you are picking a path today.
How many jobs are available in real estate investment trusts?
REITs supported an estimated 3.6 million jobs and $283 billion in labor income in 2024, according to Nareit, the trade group for the industry. Nareit also counts about 560,000 REIT-owned properties and more than $4.5 trillion of gross real estate owned by U.S. REITs.
Read that first number carefully. It is jobs “supported” by REITs, which is Nareit’s wording. It is not a headcount of people on a REIT’s own payroll, and Nareit does not give a direct-employee count on that page.
The takeaway for a job hunter is simple. Somebody has to buy, finance, lease, manage, value and account for every one of those 560,000 properties, and that is where the ten jobs below come from.
What a REIT is, and why it matters for your paycheck
A REIT is a company that owns, operates or finances income-producing real estate. Most collect rent, then pay it out to shareholders. Nareit says REITs must pay out at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders, and most pay out 100%.
The kind of REIT you work for shapes the job you do there. Nareit splits them two ways.
By what they invest in:
- Equity REITs own property and earn rent. Think apartment buildings, offices, shopping centers, warehouses, data centers, hotels, hospitals, self-storage and cell towers. These hire the most property managers, leasing agents and development staff.
- Mortgage REITs (mREITs) buy or originate mortgages and mortgage-backed securities and earn the interest. These are finance shops, so the jobs lean toward analysts and accountants. Their results are sensitive to increases in interest rates.
By how their shares are sold:
- Public REITs are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and trade on national stock exchanges. They need investor relations and financial reporting staff.
- Public non-listed REITs are registered with the SEC but do not trade on an exchange.
- Private REITs are exempt from SEC registration and, Nareit says, generally can be sold only to institutional investors.
If you want the widest choice of roles, start with large public equity REITs. They run every function in-house, from acquisitions to leasing.
MoreReal estate investing for beginners
Best paying jobs in REITs
Each job below is matched to the closest occupation the BLS tracks, so you can check every number yourself. “Top 10%” means the 90th percentile wage, the point where one in ten workers in that occupation earns more.
1. Financial manager
Median pay: $166,570. Top 10%: more than $323,270. Projected growth: 9.7%. BLS occupation: financial managers.
This is the top of the finance ladder at a REIT: the controller, the treasurer, the finance director and the people who decide how a property portfolio is funded. You manage budgets, debt and cash, and you sign off on the numbers investors see.
It is not an entry-level job. The BLS lists a bachelor’s degree plus five or more years of related experience as the typical way in. The growth rate is almost three times the 3.5% average for all occupations, so the ladder is worth climbing. Most people get here by starting as an analyst or accountant (jobs 4 and 5).
2. Real estate attorney
Median pay: $159,670. Top 10%: more than $351,600. Projected growth: 4.7%. BLS occupation: lawyers.
REITs buy, sell, lease and borrow against property constantly, and every one of those deals runs on contracts. Real estate attorneys draft and review purchase agreements, leases and loan documents, handle closings, and keep the company on the right side of securities rules.
You need a law degree and a license to practice in your state. That is seven years of school for most people, so count the tuition before you count the salary. If you already have the degree, this is the highest ceiling on the list.
3. Development manager
Median pay: $114,990. Top 10%: more than $189,440. Projected growth: 9.1%. BLS occupation: construction managers.
Development managers take a project from an empty site to a finished building. You pick the location, line up the financing, and hire and manage the team: architects, lawyers, contractors, electricians and plumbers.
One thing is different at a REIT. The SEC notes that a REIT does not develop property to resell it. It buys and develops property mainly to operate it as part of its own portfolio. So you are building something your employer will own and rent out for years, not flipping it.
The BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry point. People come in from construction, architecture, urban planning and finance.
4. Acquisitions or financial analyst
Median pay: $102,740. Top 10%: more than $180,860. Projected growth: 7.2%. BLS occupation: financial and investment analysts.
Analysts are the people who decide whether a building is worth buying. An acquisitions analyst researches the market, models the rent and costs, and writes up the risks and the likely return for the investment committee. A financial analyst does similar work on the properties the REIT already owns.
This is the classic way into the industry with a bachelor’s degree. The BLS lists a degree as the typical entry requirement and no prior experience in a related job. Finance, accounting, economics and real estate majors all fit. It is also the feeder role for job 1.
5. Accountant
Median pay: $83,680. Top 10%: more than $144,090. Projected growth: 5.0%. BLS occupation: accountants and auditors.
Remember the 90% payout rule above. A company only keeps its REIT status by meeting a list of requirements, so the accounting has to be right. REIT accountants track rent, expenses and debt across hundreds of properties and prepare the financial reports.
A bachelor’s degree is the typical entry point, according to the BLS. Accounting is also the largest field on this list, with about 115,300 projected openings a year across all industries, so there are more doors to knock on.
6. Investor relations specialist
Median pay: $74,750. Top 10%: more than $135,150. Projected growth: 1.8%. BLS occupation: public relations specialists.
A public REIT answers to its shareholders, and investor relations is the team that does the answering. You explain results, field questions from investors and analysts, and help prepare the annual and quarterly reports that public REITs file with the SEC.
The BLS does not report investor relations pay on its own. Public relations specialists is the closest category it publishes, so treat this number as a rough guide, not a quote. A bachelor’s degree is the typical entry point.
7. Real estate broker
Median pay: $73,220. Top 10%: more than $143,300. Projected growth: 0.8%. BLS occupation: real estate brokers.
Brokers are licensed to run their own real estate business and to supervise agents. In the REIT world they find buyers, sellers and large tenants for commercial property, and a big lease or sale can mean a big commission.
The BLS lists a high school diploma plus some experience as the typical path, and you need a state broker license. The catch is the outlook. At 0.8%, this is the slowest-growing job on the list, so plan on competing for a fixed number of seats.
8. Property or real estate manager
Median pay: $69,990. Top 10%: more than $139,680. Projected growth: 3.7%. BLS occupation: property, real estate, and community association managers.
Property managers run the buildings a REIT owns. You keep them leased, collect the rent, handle repairs and control costs, because every dollar saved goes to the owners.
The category is wide. It covers the on-site manager of one apartment building and the real estate manager responsible for many. That is why the top 10% earn about double the median. The BLS lists a high school diploma plus some related experience as the typical entry point, which makes this one of the easier ways into a REIT without a degree.
9. Appraiser
Median pay: $67,960. Top 10%: more than $122,660. Projected growth: 3.5%. BLS occupation: property appraisers and assessors.
Appraisers estimate what a property is worth. You inspect the building, compare it with recent sales and rents nearby, and write a report that buyers, lenders and auditors rely on. Most appraisers specialize in either commercial or residential property, and much of the work is out in the field.
The BLS lists a bachelor’s degree and long-term on-the-job training as typical. Growth matches the national average exactly, so this is a steady field, not a booming one.
10. Leasing or sales agent
Median pay: $52,830. Top 10%: more than $123,590. Projected growth: 1.7%. BLS occupation: real estate sales agents.
Real estate agents need a state license and, according to the BLS, typically a high school diploma. At a REIT the job is usually leasing: showing apartments, offices or retail space and signing tenants.
Look at the gap between the median and the top 10%. Half of agents earn less than $52,830, and one in ten earns more than $123,590. Your income depends on how much you close. If you want a steadier paycheck, the property management track pays more at the median. If the degree is what is holding you back, see our list of high paying jobs that don’t require a degree.
How to get a job at a REIT
- Pick a track. REIT jobs fall into four groups: finance (analyst, accountant, financial manager), legal, property operations (property manager, development) and sales (agent, broker). Choose the one that fits the schooling you have or are willing to get.
- Get the credential that track asks for. For finance and accounting, that is a bachelor’s degree. For law, a law degree and a state license. For agents and brokers, a state license.
- Build a target list. Nareit’s REIT Directory lists its member REITs and lets you sort by property sector. Pick a sector you find interesting, then check the careers page of each company in it.
- Read the company’s filings before you interview. Public REITs file annual and quarterly reports with the SEC, and anyone can read them for free on the SEC’s EDGAR system. Knowing which buildings a REIT owns and how they are performing puts you ahead of most applicants.
- Start where you can get in. A leasing or property management job gets you inside the company. From there you can move toward asset management or acquisitions as you learn the business.
Is real estate investment trusts a good career path?
For most people who like finance or property, yes. All ten jobs on this list pay more than the $50,980 median for all occupations, and six of the ten are projected to grow faster than the 3.5% average through 2035.
The honest downside is that the growth is uneven. Financial managers (9.7%), development managers (9.1%) and analysts (7.2%) are growing fast. Brokers (0.8%), agents (1.7%) and investor relations (1.8%) are barely growing at all.
The best pay also sits behind the most schooling. The two jobs above $150,000 need either a law degree or five-plus years of finance experience. If you are starting from scratch, aim for an analyst or accounting role and work up.
Rather own real estate than work in it?
You do not need a job at a REIT to earn money from one. The SEC says you can buy shares of a publicly traded REIT through a broker, or buy a REIT mutual fund or exchange-traded fund. You can also use one of the real estate investing apps if you want to invest with as little money as possible.
Whichever way you go, this is investing, and you can lose money. The SEC warns that non-traded REITs in particular are hard to sell and often carry high up-front fees.
For most people: Fundrise
Fundrise is the easier starting point. The company says its minimums start at $10, and you do not need to be an accredited investor. Plan to leave the money alone for years, because this is not something you can sell in a day like a stock. Our Fundrise review covers the fees and the fine print.
- Earn passive income with real estate investing starting at just $10
- Easy-to-use app for seamless access to crowd-funded real estate deals
- Perfect for those who want their money to work for them
For accredited investors: EquityMultiple
EquityMultiple is for accredited investors only. The standard minimum is $25,000 per offering, and its short-term Alpine Notes start at $5,000. The deals are private commercial real estate, so there is no market to sell your stake early. Read our EquityMultiple review before you put money in, because the company changed operators in 2026.
- Invest in vetted opportunities across debt, equity, and preferred equity
- Get started with just $5,000 to diversify your portfolio
- Every deal is carefully analyzed to reduce risk
- Easily monitor performance through an intuitive dashboard
- Equity investments offer the highest upside
Not accredited and want more choices? Compare the best real estate crowdfunding sites for non-accredited investors or these Fundrise alternatives.
The bottom line
The money in REITs is in finance and law. Financial managers ($166,570) and lawyers ($159,670) lead the list, and financial manager is also the fastest-growing job on it.
If you are starting out, the analyst seat is the one to aim for. It pays a $102,740 median with a bachelor’s degree and leads straight toward the top job. If you would rather skip the degree, property management gets you inside a REIT at a $69,990 median.
And if you just want a piece of the rent checks, you can own REITs without working for one.
REIT jobs FAQs
Fundrise says its minimums start at $10, and you can do it all from an app. You can also buy shares of a publicly traded REIT, or a REIT mutual fund or ETF, through a regular brokerage account, according to the SEC. Either way you can lose money, so start small.
Of the ten jobs on this page, financial manager pays the most, with a median of $166,570 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Lawyers are next at $159,670. Chief executives earn a median of $213,990 across all industries, but nobody starts there.
Nareit, the industry’s trade group, estimates that REITs supported 3.6 million jobs in 2024. That is jobs supported by the industry, not a count of people employed directly by REITs.
It can be. All ten jobs on this page pay more than the $50,980 median for all occupations, and six are projected to grow faster than the 3.5% average from 2025 to 2035. Finance roles are growing fastest. Broker and agent jobs are barely growing.
Not always. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education for real estate agents, brokers and property managers. Analysts, accountants and appraisers typically need a bachelor’s degree, and attorneys need a law degree.
