Freight Forwarders earn a median of $52,260 per year ($25.13/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 6.2% through 2035, with about 9,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 43-5011
- Office and Administrative Support
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Freight Forwarder in four numbers
- Median pay
- $52,260a year, or $25.13/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $38KTop 10% $80K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.2%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 9,000100,300 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025100.3K
- Projected 2035106.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 100.3K Projected 2035 106.4K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school25.4%
- Some college0.4%
- Associate's16.2%
- Bachelor's43.7%
- Master's14.4%
Highest education held by freight forwarders Segment Value High school 25.4% Some college 0.4% Associate's 16.2% Bachelor's 43.7% Master's 14.4%
Also advertised as: Air Export Agent, Air Export Coordinator, Export Coordinator, Freight Forwarder, GSA Coordinator (General Services Administration Coordinator), Import Agent.
Pay
How much do Freight Forwarders make?
Every freight forwarder in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$52,260
Middle half earn $45,710 to $63,390
- 10th
- $38,340
- 25th
- $45,710
- 75th
- $63,390
- 90th
- $79,810
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $38,340 |
| 25th | $45,710 |
| Median | $52,260 |
| 75th | $63,390 |
| 90th | $79,810 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $52,260
- Median hourly wage
- $25.13/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $57,230
- People employed
- 97,670
Versus all US occupations
At $52,260, Freight Forwarders earn 3% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $1,280 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $49,230, this is 6% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $79,810 or more while the bottom 10% earn $38,340, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 25% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($76,250), but once local prices are taken into account South Dakota leads at $72,630 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Freight Forwarders the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $76,250 | $69,381 | 60 |
| 2New Hampshire | $67,660 | $64,955 | 80 |
| 3South Dakota | $64,340 | $72,630 | 200 |
| 4Nebraska | $62,500 | $69,365 | 390 |
| 5Washington | $60,760 | $56,778 | 2,410 |
| 6Rhode Island | $60,310 | $58,966 | 140 |
| 7New Jersey | $60,210 | $55,338 | 4,280 |
| 8New York | $60,040 | $55,633 | 5,760 |
| 9Illinois | $59,750 | $59,775 | 6,110 |
| 10Montana | $59,240 | $62,592 | 370 |
Job outlook
Is Freight Forwarder a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Freight Forwarders | +6.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Freight Forwarders to change 6.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 6,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 9,000 openings are projected each year, 9.0% of the 100,300 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Freight Forwarder
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as freight forwarders.
- Bachelor's Degree43.7%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)25.4%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree16.2%
- Master's Degree14.4%
- Some College Courses0.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 43.7% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 25.4% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 16.2% |
| Master's Degree | 14.4% |
| Some College Courses | 0.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Freight Forwarder do?
Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Maintain awareness of regulations affecting the international movement of cargo. Make arrangements for additional services, such as storage or inland transportation.
Day-to-day tasks
- Verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements.
- Keep records of goods dispatched or received.
- Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges.
- Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.
- Provide shipment status notification to exporters, consignees, or insurers.
- Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
- Monitor or record locations of goods in transit.
- Maintain current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations, or other factors that could affect freight shipping.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Monitoring3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Writing3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Mathematics3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Negotiation3.3
- Service Orientation3.3
- Time Management3.3
- Persuasion3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Compliance software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Industrial control software
- Internet browser software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Procurement software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Freight Forwarder?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Freight Forwarder |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional5.6
- Enterprising3.9
- Realistic3.5
- Investigative2.6
- Social1.8
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Freight Forwarder
O*NET related occupations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Business and Financial Operations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Office and Administrative Support
- Office and Administrative Support
- First-Line Supervisor of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators · $62,840 median
More office and administrative support careers
Median annual pay, with freight forwarders highlighted
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant$76,590
- Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$55,570
- Public Safety Telecommunicator$53,040
- Freight Forwarder$52,260
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk$50,670
- Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- Teller$43,030
- Receptionist and Information Clerk$38,010
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant | $76,590 |
| Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant | $55,570 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicator | $53,040 |
| Freight Forwarder | $52,260 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk | $50,670 |
| Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping | $50,610 |
| Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $47,540 |
| Teller | $43,030 |
| Receptionist and Information Clerk | $38,010 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Freight Forwarder appears on
Questions
Freight Forwarder: frequently asked questions
How much do Freight Forwarders make?
Freight Forwarders earn a median of $52,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 3% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $25.13/hr. The middle half earn between $45,710 and $63,390. The top 10% earn $79,810 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Freight Forwarder?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Freight Forwarders. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 43.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Freight Forwarder a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 9,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Freight Forwarder do?
Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. A core O*NET task: verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Freight Forwarders the most?
The highest state medians for Freight Forwarders are District of Columbia ($76,250), New Hampshire ($67,660), South Dakota ($64,340) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota moves to the top at $72,630.
What personality type suits a Freight Forwarder?
O*NET scores Freight Forwarders highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.