Cargo and Freight Agents Salary: $60,781 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 97,800 cargo and freight agents nationally earn a mean of $60,781. Projections imply about 0.8% annual growth; much hiring sits in transportation and warehousing.
Key Statistics
Cargo and Freight Agents: what the data shows
Common questions about cargo and freight agents careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a cargo and freight agents?
Cargo and Freight Agents is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-5011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 97,800 workers.
What does a cargo and freight agents do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, Controlling Machines and Processes, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a cargo and freight agents make?
BLS national median annual wage: $49,900 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $60,781 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,706 |
| 25th percentile | $47,338 |
| Median (50th) | $57,308 |
| 75th percentile | $65,256 |
| 90th percentile | $82,581 |
What education do you need?
For Cargo and Freight Agents, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Negotiation, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Geography, Public Safety and Security, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is cargo and freight agents in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 4.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 8.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 97,800.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do cargo and freight agentss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 97,800 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 97,430 | 20.0% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 89,080 | 18.3% |
| Support Activities for Transportation | 64,280 | 13.2% |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement | 55,000 | 11.3% |
| Truck Transportation | 12,460 | 2.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Cargo and Freight Agents in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Cargo and Freight Agents workforce.
Employment Over Time
97,800 Workforce in 2023
The Cargo and Freight Agents workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$60,781 Average Wage
In 2023, Cargo and Freight Agents earned an average of $60,781.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Salary distribution for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Employment Growth Projections
0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
60,899 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 4.1%
63,396 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 8.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Cargo and Freight Agents and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Cargo and Freight Agents employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Cargo and Freight Agents.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 14,940 employees, $59,500 avg wage
- TX: 9,460 employees, $48,940 avg wage
- IL: 6,820 employees, $54,820 avg wage
- FL: 6,470 employees, $57,140 avg wage
- NY: 5,930 employees, $62,040 avg wage
- OH: 3,740 employees, $53,220 avg wage
- NC: 3,710 employees, $48,190 avg wage
- NJ: 3,140 employees, $64,770 avg wage
- AZ: 3,050 employees, $47,510 avg wage
- GA: 2,910 employees, $55,580 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,020 employees, $60,990 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,020 employees, $65,660 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 6,300 employees, $54,590 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,780 employees, $51,080 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3,710 employees, $55,340 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,700 employees, $48,160 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,570 employees, $51,590 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,250 employees, $57,460 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,990 employees, $59,660 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 1,830 employees, $49,760 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Diversity
Demographic information on Cargo and Freight Agents in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Cargo and Freight Agents in 2023 was 97,800 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Cargo and Freight Agents in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Cargo and Freight Agents workers.
Education level distribution for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Skills
Cargo and Freight Agents need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Time Management.
Required skills for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Cargo and Freight Agents include Transportation, Geography, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Cargo and Freight Agents include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Cargo and Freight Agents.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Cargo and Freight Agents.
Daily Activities
Cargo and Freight Agents spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People.
Most important work activities for Cargo and Freight Agents.
About
Cargo and Freight Agents
The average yearly wage for Cargo and Freight Agents was $60,781 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-5011 - Cargo and Freight Agents
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Cargo and Freight Agents reports an average salary of $60,781.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 97,800 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.