Customs Brokers Career, Salary and Skills
Customs Brokers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $80,730 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 417,070. Wage data is published for 445 locations.
Occupation description
Prepare customs documentation and ensure that shipments meet all applicable laws to facilitate the import and export of goods. Determine and track duties and taxes payable and process payments on behalf of client. Sign documents under a power of attorney. Represent clients in meetings with customs officials and apply for duty refunds and tariff reclassifications. Coordinate transportation and storage of imported goods.
O*NET code
13-1041.08
Job zone
3
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$80,730
Hourly median
$38.81
Employment
417,070
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Writing | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.62 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Time Management | 3.12 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Classify goods according to tariff coding system.
- Clear goods through customs and to their destinations for clients.
- Prepare and process import and export documentation according to customs regulations, laws, or procedures.
- Stay abreast of changes in import or export laws or regulations by reading current literature, attending meetings or conferences, or conferring with colleagues.
- Calculate duty and tariff payments owed on shipments.
- Confer with officials in various agencies to facilitate clearance of goods through customs and quarantine.
- Obtain line releases for frequent shippers of low-risk commodities, high-volume entries, or multiple-container loads.
- Pay, or arrange for payment of, taxes and duties on shipments.
Technology
- Automated commercial environment software ACE
- Automated system for customs data ASYCUDA
- Customs records databases
- Electronic data interchange EDI software
- Materials requirement planning MRP software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Optical character reader OCR software
- Parts classification databases
- SAP Customs Management
Customs Brokers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Customs Brokers Salary in CAMedian $96,980 · Employment 49,880
- Customs Brokers Salary in TXMedian $75,370 · Employment 42,900
- Customs Brokers Salary in FLMedian $74,920 · Employment 29,680
- Customs Brokers Salary in NYMedian $90,080 · Employment 23,500
- Customs Brokers Salary in New York, NYMedian $101,050 · Employment 23,380
- Customs Brokers Salary in PAMedian $85,580 · Employment 19,810
- Customs Brokers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $94,810 · Employment 17,700
- Customs Brokers Salary in VAMedian $80,380 · Employment 15,190
- Customs Brokers Salary in GAMedian $70,200 · Employment 14,390
- Customs Brokers Salary in Washington, DCMedian $100,200 · Employment 13,820
- Customs Brokers Salary in NJMedian $100,000 · Employment 13,310
- Customs Brokers Salary in MAMedian $102,060 · Employment 13,190
Related careers
- Postal Service ClerksNational median $62,130
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales AgentsNational median $78,660
- Purchasing ManagersNational median $148,080
- LogisticiansNational median $82,320
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm ProductsNational median not published
- Transportation InspectorsNational median $92,100
- Logistics AnalystsNational median $82,320
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory ClerksNational median $45,260
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.