The gap between real estate agents who subscribe to MLSs but are not members of Realtor associations and Realtor-subscribers hit a record level in 2024, consulting firm T3 Sixty said, citing its latest Real Estate Almanac.
Specifically, the difference rose to 25%, up from 13% in 2018 and its highest level since T3 Sixty started tracking it.
“The data reflects an industry in steady structural transition,” said Clint Skutchan, T3 Sixty’s executive vice president for organized real estate consulting. “MLSs and Realtor associations continue to consolidate, while subscriber and member access models evolve toward greater flexibility, expanded participation and more scalable operations.”
Many agents now hold memberships in multiple MLSs to serve clients across geographic boundaries, while at the same time, more MLSs allow non-Realtor agents to subscribe directly, providing additional pathways to MLS access for brokerages and agents, T3 Sixty said.
An estimated 57% of U.S. MLS subscribers belong to MLSs open to non-Realtors. By the end of 2026, this share is projected to top 66%.
A new top MLS
For the first time since T3 Sixty started publishing its MLS rankings, San Dimas, California-based California Regional MLS is no longer the largest listing service. Rockville, Maryland-based Bright MLS, which saw its subscriber count rise 0.8% to 101,100, is now at the top. California Regional’s count dropped 8% to 99,000.
Rounding out the top five MLSs were Maitland, Florida-based Stellar MLS (81,453 subscribers), Miami-based Miami Realtors MLS (60,325) and Atlanta-based First MLS (58,431).
Less is more
Another trend in MLSs and Realtor associations has been consolidation: While each type of organization has seen its ranks shrink, those remaining have seen their subscriber counts and memberships grow.
The number of MLSs fell 8.8% between 2020 and 2025 to 515. Average subscriber count during that period jumped 24.5% to 3,639. More than one-third (34.5%) of all MLS subscribers are now served by one of the 10 largest MLSs.
The same trend can be seen among local Realtor associations, which saw their ranks contract 6.6% during the same period to 1,014 in 2025. Average membership grew 15.1% to 1,477 members per association. The 10 largest local Realtor associations accounted for 19.1% of total U.S. membership in 2025, up slightly from 18.5% in 2024.
Southern charm
While most U.S. regions experienced declines in MLS subscribers in 2024, T3 Sixty’s South Atlantic region recorded a 0.4% annual increase, making it the only region to a see year-over-year gain.
The growth of Bright MLS, which is in the South Atlantic, could be linked to demographic shifts, including sustained population growth in the Mid-Atlantic and South. According to the U.S. Census, the South grew by 1.8 million residents, or 1.4%, in 2024, making it the fastest-growing region in the country.
Browse the full rankings in the almanac.