What is the salary and career path for a customs broker?
Customs brokers are grouped by BLS with Cargo and Freight Agents (SOC 43-5011), whose OEWS May 2025 median is $52,260 a year ($25.13 an hour), from $38,340 at the 10th percentile to $79,810 at the 90th. That code covers a range of freight-agent work, and a licensed customs broker typically sits toward the upper half of it because the CBP licence and classification expertise command a premium. BLS projects 8.5% growth over 2024–2034 with about 8,800 openings a year across the code. Unlike most freight roles, this one carries a real federal licence: the CBP Customs Broker License Examination under 19 CFR Part 111.
- Customs Brokers earn a national median $52,260/yr ($25.13/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011); the top 10% clear $79,810.
- Unlike most freight roles this one carries a real federal licence: the CBP Customs Broker License Examination under 19 CFR Part 111, which is the gate to signing entries.
- BLS projects 8.5% growth 2024–34 with about 8,800 openings a year across the SOC 43-5011 cargo-and-freight-agents code that customs brokers share.
- The published $52,260 median understates a licensed broker, whose CBP licence and HTS-classification expertise push pay into the code's upper half and beyond in corporate compliance roles.
Career Path
How do you become a customs broker?
Import/entry coordinator or clerk
Preparing entry documents, data-entering classifications and chasing paperwork under a licensed broker; entry near the 10th percentile of $38,340.
Licensed customs broker
Holding the CBP licence and signing entries — classification, valuation, duty and clearance — around the $52,260 median for SOC 43-5011.
Senior broker or import manager
Managing an entry team, complex classifications and audits pays toward the 75th percentile of $63,390.
Brokerage/trade-compliance manager
Owning a brokerage branch or a corporate trade-compliance function reaches the 90th percentile at $79,810.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays customs brokers the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011. National median: $52,260. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does customs broker pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles customs brokers most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: customs brokers rank 2 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected +8.5% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly customs brokers clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011 (customs brokers) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do customs brokers need?
The federal licence issued by US Customs and Border Protection after passing the Customs Broker License Examination — the defining credential of the role. See all state licences →
CBP's twice-yearly open-book exam on the HTS, entry, valuation and classification; passing it is the gate to the licence.
A voluntary professional credential from the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America covering trade compliance in depth.
Not a certificate held by individuals but a CBP supply-chain-security programme brokers routinely help importers qualify for and maintain.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do customs brokers use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 43-5011
Salary Levers
How do customs brokers earn above the $52,260 BLS median?
Holding the CBP licence
A licensed broker who can sign entries commands more than an unlicensed entry writer, moving from the $38,340 band toward and above the $52,260 median
Classification complexity
Handling technical commodities, trade-programme claims and post-entry audits pays toward the $63,390 seventy-fifth percentile
Management and branch ownership
Running an entry team or a brokerage branch, or owning corporate trade compliance, is what reaches the $79,810 top decile
Corporate vs. brokerage employer
In-house trade-compliance roles at large importers often pay above the freight-agent code because the licence sits inside a compliance function
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a customs broker worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Customs Broker Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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