Real Estate Almanac
Multiple Listing Services
The MLS section of the ORE 200 includes a ranking of all the nation’s MLS organizations, by membership count as of December 31, 2020. Note that the list only features MLS organizations, which have a governance structure with clear listing processes, procedures and compliance rules, and not MLS systems, which essentially are just a database and number just a handful in the country covering just a few dozen subscribers.
MLS Overview
Multiple listing services (MLSs) create connections that serve as a listing database for all a market’s homes for sale while enabling collaboration between competing brokers and agents to make transactions happen as quickly as possible and for the highest price. MLSs essentially serve as cooperatives, the result of brokerages coming together to collaborate on marketing and selling each other’s listings. MLSs are anchored by a technology platform, often provided by a third-party software provider.
Source: Real Estate Almanac
Of the 556 MLSs in the country at the end of 2020, 108 are regional MLSs, either owned by two or more Realtor associations or serve regional markets (19 are broker-owned); 448 are local MLSs, which have a single Realtor association owner. Just 3 percent of MLSs are not owned by a Realtor association or group of associations, based on T3 Sixty’s research.
Source: Real Estate Almanac
The nation’s large regional MLSs have huge footprints, sophisticated technology, innovative business practices and well-run management structures. The largest MLSs serve members across a broad geographic area, sometimes statewide or even across multiple states. These include California Regional MLS (104,414 subscribers), Bright MLS (94,429 subscribers) and Florida-based Stellar MLS (64,552 subscribers).
Year | No. of Local Associations | Median Local Association Member Count | Average Local Association Member Count |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 1,088 | 360 | 1,279 |
2021 | 1,069 | 1,351 | 383 |
% Change | -1.7% | 6.4% | 5.6% |
Source: Real Estate Almanac
Over half of the nation’s MLS subscribers belong to one of the largest 20 MLSs and 14 percent of the nation’s MLSs account for approximately 80 percent of the nation’s 1.7 million MLS subscribers. On the other side of the spectrum are small local MLSs. These organizations, which do not have as many resources, have memberships measuring in just the hundreds. Approximately 45 percent of the nation’s 556 MLSs have under 400 subscribers.
In some cases, two or more local MLSs serve the same city, such as First Multiple Listing Service and Georgia MLS in Atlanta. In other cases, such as UtahRealEstate.com, MLSs basically cover the state.
Since the early 1990s, the MLS industry has seen a wave of consolidation. Just six years ago there were over 800 MLSs as compared to the 556 MLSs at the end of 2020. With that, MLSs are getting bigger while their overall count drops. From 2020 to 2021 the median subscriber count per MLS grew 18.8 percent while the average subscriber count per MLS grew 9.8 percent.
MLS Memberships
The rankings show that the nation’s 20 largest MLSs (approximately 3.6 percent of all MLSs) serve over 50 percent of the nation’s total MLS subscribers; this number will likely go up as consolidation increases across the country and MLSs become larger.
Residential real estate brokerage industry’s MLSs listed as of December 31, 2020. Sorted by end of year membership. Note that the list only features MLS organizations, which have a governance structure with clear listing processes, procedures and compliance rules, and not MLS systems, which essentially are just a database and number just a handful in the country covering just a few dozen subscribers.
2021 Rank
Multiple Listing Service
2020 EOY Membership
1
California Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
2
Bright MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
3
Stellar MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
4
First Multiple Listing Service
,
Rank:
Membership:
5
Miami Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
6
Midwest Real Estate Data
,
Rank:
Membership:
7
Georgia MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
8
MLS Property Information Network
,
Rank:
Membership:
9
North Texas Real Estate Information Systems
,
Rank:
Membership:
10
One Key MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
11
Arizona Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
12
Houston Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
13
BeachesMLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
14
Northwest MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
15
Garden State MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
16
Metrolist
,
Rank:
Membership:
17
REcolorado
,
Rank:
Membership:
18
Northstar MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
19
Canopy MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
20
SMART MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
21
UtahRealEstate.com
,
Rank:
Membership:
22
The MLS/CLAW
,
Rank:
Membership:
23
Realcomp II Ltd.
,
Rank:
Membership:
24
Realtracs
,
Rank:
Membership:
25
ACTRIS MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
26
MLSListings
,
Rank:
Membership:
27
Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
28
Regional Multiple Listing Service
,
Rank:
Membership:
29
Greater San Diego Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
30
San Antonio Board of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
31
New Jersey MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
32
Triangle MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
33
MLS Now (Formerly Yes MLS)
,
Rank:
Membership:
34
MARIS MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
35
Heartland MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
36
CRISNet MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
37
Monmouth/Ocean Regional Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
38
New England Real Estate Network
,
Rank:
Membership:
39
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
40
MIBOR Broker Listing Cooperative
,
Rank:
Membership:
41
Metro MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
42
Columbus and Central Ohio Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
43
Central Jersey MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
44
Real Estate Information Network
,
Rank:
Membership:
45
Florida Gulf Coast MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
46
West Penn MultiList
,
Rank:
Membership:
47
North Carolina Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
48
Bay Area Real Estate Information Service
,
Rank:
Membership:
49
Naples Area Board of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
50
IRES, LLC
,
Rank:
Membership:
51
Gulf South Real Estate Information Network
,
Rank:
Membership:
52
MLS of Southern Arizona
,
Rank:
Membership:
53
Charleston Trident MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
54
MLS of Greater Cincinnati
,
Rank:
Membership:
55
Intermountain Multiple Listing Service
,
Rank:
Membership:
56
HiCentral MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
57
Indiana Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
58
Central Virginia Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
59
MiRealSource
,
Rank:
Membership:
60
MLSOK
,
Rank:
Membership:
61
Maine Real Estate Information System
,
Rank:
Membership:
62
StateWide MLS of Rhode Island
,
Rank:
Membership:
63
Bay East Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
64
Triad Multiple Listing Service
,
Rank:
Membership:
65
MLS Technology
,
Rank:
Membership:
66
Central Texas MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
67
Knoxville Area Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
68
Space Coast Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
69
Pikes Peak Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
70
Greater Louisville Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
71
San Francisco Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
72
Greater Alabama MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
73
Cooperative Arkansas Realtors MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
74
Liberty Board of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
75
Great Plains Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
76
Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
77
South Central Wisconsin MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
78
Contra Costa Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
79
Global MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
80
Greater Greenville Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
81
Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
82
Emerald Coast Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
83
Brooklyn Board of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
84
Dayton Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
85
Memphis Area Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
86
ValleyMLS.com
,
Rank:
Membership:
87
Northern Nevada Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
88
Fresno Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
89
Southern Missouri Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
90
Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
91
Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
92
Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
92
bridgeMLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
94
Greater Regional Alliance of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
95
Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
96
Central Carolina Realtors Association (Palmetto MLS)
,
Rank:
Membership:
97
California Desert Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
98
South Jersey Shore Regional MLS
,
Rank:
Membership:
99
Greater Rochester Association of Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership:
100
Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors
,
Rank:
Membership: