Pay by state · 51 states
Freight Forwarder Salary by State (2026)
Freight Forwarders earn the most in District of Columbia at $76,250 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $28,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $52,260. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $76,250District of Columbia
- National median
- $52,260BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $28,600Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Freight Forwarder salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of freight forwarders OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $76,250 | $72,810 | $76,250 | 60 | $69,381 |
| 2 | NHNew Hampshire | $67,660 | $44,650 | $77,130 | 80 | $64,955 |
| 3 | SDSouth Dakota | $64,340 | $60,390 | $68,830 | 200 | $72,630 |
| 4 | NENebraska | $62,500 | $51,320 | $78,500 | 390 | $69,365 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $60,760 | $52,190 | $72,520 | 2,410 | $56,778 |
| 6 | RIRhode Island | $60,310 | $48,380 | $73,150 | 140 | $58,966 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $60,210 | $49,470 | $69,860 | 4,280 | $55,338 |
| 8 | NYNew York | $60,040 | $47,570 | $80,820 | 5,760 | $55,633 |
| 9 | ILIllinois | $59,750 | $48,840 | $62,480 | 6,110 | $59,775 |
| 10 | MTMontana | $59,240 | $46,620 | $66,350 | 370 | $62,592 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $58,680 | $51,170 | $72,310 | 820 | $55,486 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $58,650 | $48,040 | $62,930 | 1,380 | $59,470 |
| 13 | CACalifornia | $57,690 | $47,270 | $73,730 | 17,060 | $52,104 |
| 14 | WIWisconsin | $57,290 | $48,130 | $65,970 | 1,280 | $60,885 |
| 15 | SCSouth Carolina | $57,000 | $48,480 | $66,290 | 1,540 | $60,801 |
| 16 | ALAlabama | $54,890 | $45,740 | $61,320 | 1,020 | $61,797 |
| 17 | NDNorth Dakota | $54,230 | $48,000 | $95,330 | 380 | $60,961 |
| 18 | UTUtah | $52,770 | $39,520 | $72,080 | 590 | $53,376 |
| 19 | AKAlaska | $52,070 | $46,520 | $72,730 | 580 | $50,870 |
| 20 | TNTennessee | $51,800 | $46,920 | $66,280 | 3,390 | $56,384 |
| 21 | COColorado | $51,390 | $48,220 | $60,300 | 850 | $49,868 |
| 22 | GAGeorgia | $51,380 | $45,450 | $62,020 | 3,630 | $53,358 |
| 23 | MOMissouri | $50,840 | $39,760 | $65,540 | 1,410 | $55,981 |
| 24 | ARArkansas | $50,500 | $45,450 | $58,740 | N/A | $58,088 |
| 25 | MEMaine | $50,340 | $47,210 | $60,800 | 190 | $51,870 |
| 26 | INIndiana | $50,020 | $40,830 | $65,390 | 1,200 | $53,595 |
| 27 | OKOklahoma | $49,940 | $32,930 | $67,140 | 300 | $56,851 |
| 28 | MSMississippi | $49,920 | $39,540 | $60,940 | 260 | $57,410 |
| 29 | AZArizona | $49,880 | $39,010 | $59,020 | 1,840 | $49,545 |
| 30 | VAVirginia | $49,680 | $46,850 | $60,420 | 1,280 | $49,138 |
| 31 | PAPennsylvania | $49,590 | $40,470 | $69,480 | 2,810 | $50,824 |
| 32 | OHOhio | $49,530 | $45,840 | $61,760 | 2,840 | $53,388 |
| 33 | OROregon | $49,420 | $43,730 | $58,500 | 1,290 | $47,813 |
| 34 | WVWest Virginia | $49,100 | $43,100 | $60,560 | 130 | $54,862 |
| 35 | LALouisiana | $48,940 | $45,200 | $61,870 | 840 | $55,483 |
| 36 | NMNew Mexico | $48,910 | $44,570 | $63,010 | 110 | $53,041 |
| 37 | MDMaryland | $48,730 | $38,530 | $58,430 | 740 | $46,428 |
| 38 | FLFlorida | $48,520 | $45,910 | $61,560 | 8,110 | $46,918 |
| 39 | TXTexas | $48,470 | $40,260 | $61,060 | 7,610 | $49,940 |
| 40 | IAIowa | $48,370 | $44,240 | $61,380 | 660 | $55,115 |
| 41 | NCNorth Carolina | $48,000 | $43,250 | $61,720 | 2,520 | $50,887 |
| 42 | MIMichigan | $47,940 | $44,520 | $58,800 | 2,150 | $49,825 |
| 43 | VTVermont | $47,560 | $47,560 | $60,530 | 80 | $48,551 |
| 44 | NVNevada | $47,000 | $40,950 | $60,960 | 490 | $47,010 |
| 45 | KYKentucky | $46,230 | $41,180 | $58,500 | 2,570 | $51,276 |
| 46 | IDIdaho | $45,710 | $43,110 | $55,730 | 300 | $47,867 |
| 47 | KSKansas | $42,500 | $31,790 | $46,040 | 890 | $47,187 |
| 48 | HIHawaii | $42,400 | $37,030 | $57,700 | 1,760 | $38,563 |
| 49 | GUGuam | $38,360 | $30,470 | $53,230 | 60 | N/A |
| 50 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $29,400 | $29,400 | $32,910 | N/A | N/A |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $28,600 | $23,180 | $29,740 | 300 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Freight Forwarders, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $76,250, while South Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $72,630.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Freight Forwarder pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Freight Forwarders the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Freight Forwarders at $76,250 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Hampshire ($67,660) and South Dakota ($64,340).
Which state pays Freight Forwarders the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Freight Forwarders at $28,600 a year, $47,650 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Freight Forwarders earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts South Dakota first at $72,630 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $64,340. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.