How Many Jobs Are Available in Real Estate Investment Trusts
U.S. real estate investment trusts directly employed about 312,000 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, and the REIT industry supported about 3.6 million FTE jobs and $283 billion in labor income once you count construction, capital spending and other activity it pays for. Those figures come from Nareit’s summary of its 2024 economic contribution study by EY, published October 23, 2025 (checked October 30, 2026). Openings at any moment are a much smaller number that no one tracks for the sector as a whole; the places to look are listed below.
REIT employment by sector
| REIT Sector | Major Employers | Typical Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | AvalonBay, Equity Residential, MAA | Property managers, leasing agents, maintenance |
| Retail | Simon Property, Realty Income, Regency | Asset managers, tenant relations, development |
| Industrial | Prologis, EastGroup Properties, Rexford | Acquisitions, development, logistics coordination |
| Office | BXP (formerly Boston Properties), SL Green, Vornado | Leasing, property management, tenant build-out |
| Healthcare | Welltower, Ventas, Healthpeak | Asset management, regulatory compliance, operations |
| Data Center | Equinix, Digital Realty, Iron Mountain | Engineering, operations, sales, development |
Job growth trends
The jobs-supported total has grown across recent editions of the EY study: about 3.5 million FTEs for 2023 versus about 3.6 million for 2024. The sector has also spread beyond offices, malls and apartments into data centers, cell towers, single-family rentals and healthcare, which is where much of the technical and operations hiring now sits. Nareit does not publish hiring by sector, so check individual REITs’ career pages and annual reports (10-Ks list headcount) for current numbers.
Sources and check dates
- Nareit, “REITs Supported 3.6 Million Jobs, $283 Billion in Labor Income in 2024,” October 23, 2025: reit.com. Supports the 312,000 direct FTE, 3.6 million supported FTE and $283 billion figures (checked October 30, 2026).
- EY for Nareit, 2023 economic contribution report (September 2024): reit.com PDF. Supports the 2023 comparison figure.
How to find REIT jobs
- NAREIT career center: The National Association of REITs maintains a job board at reit.com.
- Individual REIT websites: Large REITs post openings on their corporate career pages.
- LinkedIn: Follow major REITs and set alerts for roles matching your experience.
- Industry conferences: REITweek, ULI conferences, and ICSC events are networking opportunities.
- University recruiting: Many REITs recruit from MBA programs with real estate concentrations.
For salary expectations, see our best-paying REIT jobs guide. For broader career guidance, see our overview of the REIT industry, our career path analysis, and our REIT glossary entry.
For those interested in direct real estate investing rather than REIT employment, see our investment banking guide.