Side-by-side license comparison
| Metric | General Contractor | Real Estate Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Trades | Real Estate |
| Median Salary | $101,480 | $56,620 |
| Avg Initial Fee | $359 | $254 |
| Difficulty | Medium-High | Medium |
| Education | Experience-based (2-5 years) | 60-180 hours pre-licensing |
| Exam | State Contractor Exam | State Real Estate Exam |
| Time to License | 3-6 years | 2-6 months |
| Renewal Period | Every 2 yr | Every 2 yr |
| CE Hours / Cycle | 14 hrs | 16 hrs |
| States Requiring | 41 of 53 | 53 of 53 |
General Contractor earns $44,860 more per year on average. Over a 10-year career span, that adds up to approximately $448,600 in additional earnings.
The LicenseWize editorial team aggregates and verifies licenses data from Bureau of Labor Statistics & State Licensing Boards. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.