What is the salary and career path for a import/export coordinator?
Import-export coordinators are a close match to 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; the code also covers forwarding and airline-cargo agents. It is reached without a licence — unlike a customs broker, the coordinator prepares and coordinates entries rather than filing them under a CBP licence — so pay tracks trade knowledge and the complexity of the goods. BLS projects 8.5% growth over 2024–2034 with about 8,800 openings a year. The work runs on Incoterms 2020, HTS classification, customs documentation, and often C-TPAT security and export controls (EAR/ITAR).
- Import/Export Coordinators earn a national median $52,260/yr ($25.13/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011); the top 10% clear $79,810.
- No licence is required: unlike a customs broker, the coordinator prepares and coordinates entries rather than filing them under a CBP licence, so trade knowledge — not a credential — is the entry barrier.
- BLS projects 8.5% growth 2024–34 with about 8,800 openings a year across SOC 43-5011; the top 10% clear $79,810.
- The work runs on Incoterms 2020, HTS classification, customs documentation and security/export-control programmes (C-TPAT, EAR/ITAR); NCBFAA's CCS/CES and the CBP broker licence mark the path up.
Career Path
How do you become an import/export coordinator?
Import/export clerk
Preparing documents and data-entering shipments under supervision; entry sits near the 10th percentile of $38,340 for the cargo-agent code.
Import-export coordinator
Owning shipments end to end — documents, Incoterms, HTS codes and broker coordination — around the $52,260 median for SOC 43-5011.
Senior trade / compliance coordinator
Handling complex, controlled or high-duty goods and managing trade compliance pays toward the 75th percentile of $63,390.
Trade compliance manager or licensed broker
Moving into trade-compliance management, or earning the CBP broker licence, reaches the 90th percentile of $79,810 and beyond.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays import/export coordinators the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5011. National median: $52,260. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does import/export coordinator pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles import/export coordinators most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: import/export coordinators 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 import/export coordinators 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 (import/export coordinators) 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 import/export coordinators need?
Unlike a customs broker, an import-export coordinator prepares and coordinates entries without a CBP licence; the licence is needed only to file entries on an importer's behalf. See all state licences →
Certified Customs Specialist and Certified Export Specialist from the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, the recognised trade-knowledge credentials.
Not a certificate but the core competency: applying the ICC Incoterms and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule correctly to every shipment.
The 19 CFR Part 111 licence, earned by exam, for coordinators who progress into filing entries themselves.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do import/export coordinators use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 43-5011
Salary Levers
How do import/export coordinators earn above the $52,260 BLS median?
Trade knowledge and complexity of goods
Handling controlled, high-duty or highly regulated goods moves pay from the $38,340 entry band toward the $52,260 median and beyond
Compliance responsibility
Owning HTS classification, valuation and export-control screening is what earns the $63,390 seventy-fifth-percentile roles
Certification
A CCS or CES credential, and ultimately the CBP broker licence, raises earning power and opens management roles
Move into trade-compliance management
Progressing to trade-compliance manager or licensed broker is what clears the $79,810 top decile of the cargo-agent code
This Route vs. College
Is becoming an import/export coordinator 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
Import/Export Coordinator Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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