Purchasing expediter vs purchasing agent

The differences between purchasing expediters and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchasing expediter and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a purchasing agent has an average salary of $51,950, which is higher than the $38,564 average annual salary of a purchasing expediter.

The top three skills for a purchasing expediter include purchase orders, delivery dates and MRP. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.

Purchasing expediter vs purchasing agent overview

	Purchasing Expediter	Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$38,564	$51,950
Hourly rate	$18.54	$24.98
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	7,915	45,856
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Purchasing expediter vs purchasing agent salary

Purchasing expediters and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Expediter	Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$38,564	$51,950
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $37,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Abiomed
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between purchasing expediter and purchasing agent education

There are a few differences between a purchasing expediter and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Expediter	Purchasing Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing expediter vs purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing expediters' and purchasing agents' demographics:

	Purchasing Expediter	Purchasing Agent
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 6.6% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing expediter and purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Purchasing expediter example responsibilities.

Work extensively in ERP system to manage entire procurement process.
Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
Assess requisitions; obtain RFI's, RFQ's and on occasion, RFP's.
Process RMA returns for reject parts.
Approve quotes that are provided from the MRO.
Prepare and send out RFQ's to vendors.

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Purchasing expediter vs purchasing agent skills

Common purchasing expediter skills

Purchase Orders, 44%
Delivery Dates, 7%
MRP, 4%
Due Dates, 4%
Production Schedules, 4%
Inventory Control, 3%

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%

Purchasing Expediter vs. similar jobs

Purchasing Expediter related careers

Purchasing Expediter related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Purchasing Expediter
Purchasing Expediter vs Purchasing Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs