Careers / Cargo and Freight Agents
Cargo and Freight Agents — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$52,260
United States, 2025
Employment
97,670
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Take orders from customers and arrange pickup of freight and cargo for delivery to loading platform. Prepare and examine bills of lading to determine shipping charges and tariffs.
- O*NET code
- 43-5011.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
- Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
- Track delivery progress of shipments.
- Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
- Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
- Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
- Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.
- Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$38,340
25th percentile
$45,710
75th percentile
$63,390
90th percentile
$79,810
Most important skills
- Speaking3.6
- Active Listening3.5
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Negotiation3.1
- Service Orientation3.0
- Writing3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 12 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
12
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Speaking | 3.6 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $58,640
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsSupplemental
National median not published
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsSupplemental
National median $44,390
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsSupplemental
National median not published
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsSupplemental
National median $78,000
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsSupplemental
National median $107,230
Compare with Cargo and Freight AgentsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | $76,250 | 60 | 2025 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $68,080 | 30 | 2025 |
| NH | $67,660 | 80 | 2025 |
| Tulsa, OK | $67,140 | 130 | 2025 |
| Rapid City, SD | $65,440 | 30 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $65,320 | 40 | 2025 |
| Davenport, IA | $64,580 | 60 | 2025 |
| SD | $64,340 | 200 | 2025 |
| New Haven, CT | $63,380 | 80 | 2025 |
| Missoula, MT | $63,010 | 60 | 2025 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $63,010 | 60 | 2025 |
| Sioux Falls, SD | $62,950 | 100 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $62,830 | 220 | 2025 |
| NE | $62,500 | 390 | 2025 |
| Omaha, NE | $62,240 | 290 | 2025 |
| Syracuse, NY | $62,100 | 120 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $61,860 | 1,940 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $61,560 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $60,980 | 1,960 | 2025 |
| Great Falls, MT | $60,810 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Cargo and Freight Agents to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.