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Import/export specialist salary
Average import/export specialist salary
$52,246
Understanding the Import/Export Specialist Role
An Import/Export Specialist plays a pivotal role in global trade by managing logistics, ensuring compliance with regulations, and coordinating international shipments. This profession is crucial for maintaining the flow of goods across borders, which is vital for businesses engaged in international commerce.
Average Salary Insights
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Import/Export Specialist is $52,246 per year. This figure can vary based on experience, education, and geographical location. For example, specialists in major metropolitan areas often command higher salaries due to increased demand and cost of living.
Salary by State and City
Import/Export Specialists can find lucrative opportunities in states with significant import and export activities. The highest-paying cities include Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, where trade is robust. Additionally, specialized industries such as logistics and supply chain management also offer competitive compensation.
Career Advancement
For those looking to advance in this field, obtaining certifications in logistics, trade compliance, or supply chain management can enhance job prospects and salary potential. Continuous professional development is key to staying competitive in this dynamic industry.
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Where can an Import/Export Specialist earn more?
Average import/export specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for import/export specialists are New York, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. The lowest average import/export specialist salary states are Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for import/export specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $60,017 | $28.85 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $61,645 | $29.64 |
| 3 | New York | $61,769 | $29.70 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $59,301 | $28.51 |
| 5 | Idaho | $54,464 | $26.18 |
| 6 | Vermont | $55,792 | $26.82 |
| 7 | Michigan | $53,748 | $25.84 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $53,117 | $25.54 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $60,465 | $29.07 |
| 10 | Maine | $59,880 | $28.79 |
| 11 | Maryland | $55,643 | $26.75 |
| 12 | Oregon | $57,803 | $27.79 |
| 13 | Virginia | $55,259 | $26.57 |
| 14 | Arkansas | $51,000 | $24.52 |
| 15 | Arizona | $51,569 | $24.79 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $49,994 | $24.04 |
| 17 | Iowa | $49,404 | $23.75 |
| 18 | Washington | $57,039 | $27.42 |
| 19 | Ohio | $52,195 | $25.09 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $54,279 | $26.10 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $57,924 | $27.85 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $49,416 | $23.76 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $51,474 | $24.75 |
| 24 | Indiana | $50,187 | $24.13 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $52,347 | $25.17 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $49,365 | $23.73 |
| 27 | Alaska | $47,778 | $22.97 |
| 28 | Alabama | $49,038 | $23.58 |
| 29 | Georgia | $49,114 | $23.61 |
| 30 | Kansas | $48,815 | $23.47 |
| 31 | Illinois | $51,625 | $24.82 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $47,262 | $22.72 |
| 33 | Florida | $46,726 | $22.46 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $50,871 | $24.46 |
| 35 | Texas | $49,415 | $23.76 |
| 36 | Delaware | $47,475 | $22.82 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $47,975 | $23.06 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $48,856 | $23.49 |
| 39 | California | $52,132 | $25.06 |
| 40 | Utah | $48,590 | $23.36 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $44,497 | $21.39 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $40,709 | $19.57 |
| 43 | Nevada | $44,119 | $21.21 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $38,401 | $18.46 |
| 45 | Colorado | $46,718 | $22.46 |
| 46 | District of Columbia | $46,404 | $22.31 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $43,308 | $20.82 |
| 48 | Missouri | $38,679 | $18.60 |
| 49 | Montana | $38,369 | $18.45 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,865 | $19.17 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $38,393 | $18.46 |
Highest paying cities for import/export specialists
The highest-paying cities for import/export specialists are New York, NY, Cambridge, MA, and Horsham, PA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $62,061 | $29.84 |
| 2 | Cambridge, MA | $59,989 | $28.84 |
| 3 | Horsham, PA | $59,904 | $28.80 |
| 4 | Union, NJ | $57,946 | $27.86 |
| 5 | Portland, OR | $57,562 | $27.67 |
| 6 | Bellevue, WA | $57,398 | $27.60 |
| 7 | Virginia Beach, VA | $55,693 | $26.78 |
| 8 | San Jose, CA | $54,060 | $25.99 |
| 9 | Coeur dAlene, ID | $53,911 | $25.92 |
| 10 | Santa Fe, NM | $53,552 | $25.75 |
| 11 | Eden Prairie, MN | $52,144 | $25.07 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $51,826 | $24.92 |
| 13 | Charlotte, NC | $51,564 | $24.79 |
| 14 | Brookfield, WI | $51,531 | $24.77 |
| 15 | Phoenix, AZ | $51,510 | $24.76 |
| 16 | Charleston, SC | $51,044 | $24.54 |
| 17 | Fayetteville, AR | $50,805 | $24.43 |
| 18 | Dayton, OH | $50,135 | $24.10 |
| 19 | Cheyenne, WY | $50,075 | $24.07 |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN | $49,829 | $23.96 |
Import/export specialist salary details
An import/export specialist's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $73,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an import/export specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
| 75th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
| Average | $52,246 | $4,354 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| 10th Percentile | $37,000 | $3,083 | $18 |
Highest paying import/export specialist jobs
The highest paying types of import/export specialists are specialist, freight broker, and import specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Cargo Agent | $36,182 | $3,015 | $17.40 | 27,082 |
| Cargo Agent | $35,411 | $2,951 | $17.02 | 27,874 |
| Freight Broker | $52,390 | $4,366 | $25.19 | 7,528 |
| Freight Agent | $34,524 | $2,877 | $16.60 | 32,620 |
| Ocean Export Coordinator | $43,070 | $3,589 | $20.71 | 8,384 |
| Import Coordinator | $46,843 | $3,904 | $22.52 | 16,834 |
Top companies hiring import/export specialists now:
Which companies pay import/export specialists the most?
Import/export specialist salaries at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Supermicro are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average import/export specialist salary at companies like SABIC Innovative Plastics and Schlumberger are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $91,678 | $44.08 |
| 2 | Supermicro | $82,771 | $39.79 |
| 3 | SABIC Innovative Plastics | $80,954 | $38.92 |
| 4 | Schlumberger | $78,670 | $37.82 |
| 5 | GPAC | $70,055 | $33.68 |
| 6 | ApTask | $64,768 | $31.14 |
| 7 | Trend Micro | $64,191 | $30.86 |
| 8 | Kautex | $61,309 | $29.48 |
| 9 | IDEX | $60,170 | $28.93 |
| 10 | Livingston International | $58,038 | $27.90 |
| 11 | Praxair | $54,778 | $26.34 |
| 12 | Arrow Electronics | $53,956 | $25.94 |
| 13 | Phoenix Contact | $53,941 | $25.93 |
| 14 | EaglePicher Holdings, Inc. | $53,539 | $25.74 |
| 15 | Ocs | $52,733 | $25.35 |
| 16 | AAR | $49,458 | $23.78 |
| 17 | Yusen Logistics | $48,645 | $23.39 |
| 18 | Portescap | $48,566 | $23.35 |
| 19 | enVista | $48,321 | $23.23 |
| 20 | Igloo Coolers | $48,128 | $23.14 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Import/Export Specialist salary by industry
The average import/export specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average import/export specialist salary in the automotive industry is $62,162, the highest of any industry.
- The average import/export specialist salary in the finance industry is $54,730.
- Import/export specialists in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $47,893, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for import/export specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $62,162 | $29.89 |
| 2 | Technology | $54,730 | $26.31 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $51,361 | $24.69 |
| 4 | Transportation | $47,893 | $23.03 |
High paying import/export specialist jobs
Import/export specialist salary trends
The average import/export specialist salary has risen by $6,637 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average import/export specialist earned $45,609 annually, but today, they earn $52,246 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for import/export specialists over the last decade.
Compare import/export specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average import/export specialist salary over time
Compare import/export specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Import/export specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $52,200 | $25.12 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | $52,200 | $25.10 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | $51,600 | $24.80 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $49,900 | $24.00 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | $50,000 | $24.06 | +0.1% |
Recently added import/export specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trigo ADR Americas | Import/Export Compliance Specialist | Grand Prairie, TX | 06/11/2025 | $30,000 |
| Sensient Technologies | Import/Export Specialist | Turlock, CA | 06/10/2025 | $68,295 |
| CMA CGM Group | Import/Export Specialist II | Springfield, NY | 06/05/2025 | $46,624 |
| Johnson & Johnson | Import Export Specialist | Santa Clara, CA | 05/28/2025 | $56,350 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Import Export Trade Specialist | Austin, TX | 05/28/2025 | $52,175 |
| Sensient Technologies | Import/Export Specialist | Turlock, CA | 05/26/2025 | $68,295 |
| Nestle International | Import and Export Specialist Job Details | Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA | Holbrook, NY | 05/21/2025 | $65,000 |
| CMA CGM Group | Import/Export Specialist III | Des Plaines, IL | 05/15/2025 | $48,878 |
| Ceva Logistics U.S., Inc. | Import/Export Specialist II | Piscataway, NJ | 04/30/2025 | $46,624 |
| Insight Global | Import Export Specialist | San Diego, CA | 04/25/2025 | $52,175 |
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