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Boston-area real estate agents have one of the lowest average commission shares among the country’s major housing markets, a figure that’s also falling more slowly than in most of America.

That’s according to a new analysis of MLS data by economists at brokerage and listings portal Redfin, which found that the average buyer’s agent commission has dropped from 2.62 percent at the start of this year to 2.55 for the four weeks ending July 14. Buyer’s agent commissions had already posted a modest decline in the decade before the settlement, from an average of 2.89 percent in 2013 to 2.66percent in 2023, Redfin said.

The company’s chief economist blamed the drop on changes in buyer attitudes spurred by the March settlement of a series of major commission lawsuits between consumers and the National Association of Realtors that dominated national headlines and put the negotiability of agent commissions front and center of national news for several weeks. Changes to longstanding agent commission practices due to the lawsuit settlement are set to take effect nationwide on Aug. 17.

“Redfin agents are reporting that commissions have been top of mind for clients since the NAR settlement was announced, and some sellers are asking about what it would mean to offer no commission or a relatively low one,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement. “Still, even before the blitz of publicity around the class-action lawsuits and NAR settlement, commissions were coming down. That’s partly because of the competitive housing market before and during the pandemic – which motivated some sellers to offer a low commission because they knew they could still attract buyers – and greater fee transparency.”

Unlike most other brokerages, Redfin agents only charge a listing fee as low as 1 percent due to the high base salary they are paid, a fact the company has made a focus of its brand image.

Among the nation’s 49 biggest housing markets, the average buyer’s agent commission declined the most in Detroit (31 basis points, to 2.87 percent), Cleveland (23 basis points, to 2.39 percent) and Miami (21 basis points to 2.63 percent) between January and July.

In Greater Boston, the average dropped a mere 5 basis points, to 2.15 percent for the four weeks ending July 14. That tied Boston with eight other metro areas for the 12th-biggest decline and gave agents the fifth-smallest average commission percentage nation-wide.

However, with a June median single-family sale price of $835,000 and a median condominium sale price of $660,000 within Interstate 495 according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, that doesn’t necessarily translate to lower take-home pay given. A real estate agent representing the buyer of the median single-family in June grossed a $17,952.50 commission, or a $14,190 commission representing the buyer of the median condo.

Across the housing markets Redfin studied, the average amount of money a buyer’s agent earned in commission was generally highest in metros where homes were most expensive. In San Francisco, the average commission was $50,734 during the four weeks ending July 14. Next came San Jose, California ($43,159) and Anaheim ($39,877). Buyer’s agents earned the least amount of money per deal in places where homes were relatively inexpensive, all in the Rust Belt: Cleveland (average of $5,280 per deal), Detroit ($7,054) and Pittsburgh ($7,918).