Customs Brokers
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-SOC code
13-1041.08 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Customs Brokers separately. These are the figures for Compliance Officers (13-1041), its parent occupation.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $48,220 | $61,280 | $80,730 | $109,010 | $133,720 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3,770 | $72,990 | 0.67 |
| Alaska | 920 | $76,430 | 1.05 |
| Arizona | 12,430 | $74,920 | 1.43 |
| Arkansas | 3,120 | $64,680 | 0.89 |
| California | 49,880 | $96,980 | 1.02 |
| Colorado | 7,740 | $82,450 | 1.00 |
| Connecticut | 3,610 | $91,810 | 0.79 |
| Delaware | 2,150 | $91,050 | 1.65 |
| District of Columbia | 4,380 | $111,030 | 2.33 |
| Florida | 29,680 | $74,920 | 1.11 |
| Georgia | 14,390 | $70,200 | 1.10 |
| Hawaii | 1,270 | $82,590 | 0.75 |
| Idaho | 1,660 | $75,450 | 0.72 |
| Illinois | 10,650 | $80,550 | 0.65 |
| Indiana | 5,120 | $78,770 | 0.60 |
| Iowa | 3,660 | $75,620 | 0.88 |
| Kansas | 3,560 | $69,740 | 0.92 |
| Kentucky | 4,360 | $69,240 | 0.81 |
| Louisiana | 3,970 | $70,290 | 0.77 |
| Maine | 1,790 | $83,740 | 1.04 |
| Maryland | 10,100 | $84,720 | 1.36 |
| Massachusetts | 13,190 | $102,060 | 1.35 |
| Michigan | 9,720 | $77,390 | 0.82 |
| Minnesota | 6,140 | $85,920 | 0.78 |
| Mississippi | 1,720 | $67,450 | 0.55 |
| Missouri | 7,000 | $67,270 | 0.89 |
| Montana | 1,480 | $66,660 | 1.08 |
| Nebraska | 3,470 | $73,920 | 1.26 |
| Nevada | 4,400 | $78,290 | 1.06 |
| New Hampshire | 1,730 | $82,800 | 0.95 |
| New Jersey | 13,310 | $100,000 | 1.16 |
| New Mexico | 2,400 | $67,990 | 1.03 |
| New York | 23,500 | $90,080 | 0.90 |
| North Carolina | 11,320 | $78,500 | 0.85 |
| North Dakota | 990 | $79,440 | 0.86 |
| Ohio | 11,240 | $75,030 | 0.76 |
| Oklahoma | 4,230 | $63,000 | 0.92 |
| Oregon | 5,360 | $82,990 | 1.02 |
| Pennsylvania | 19,810 | $85,580 | 1.22 |
| Rhode Island | 970 | $87,620 | 0.72 |
| South Carolina | 4,760 | $75,460 | 0.77 |
| South Dakota | 1,130 | $72,630 | 0.92 |
| Tennessee | 7,990 | $63,960 | 0.91 |
| Texas | 42,900 | $75,370 | 1.14 |
| Utah | 3,760 | $67,370 | 0.81 |
| Vermont | 1,960 | $90,420 | 2.40 |
| Virginia | 15,190 | $80,380 | 1.38 |
| Washington | 11,130 | $88,790 | 1.17 |
| West Virginia | 1,720 | $64,270 | 0.91 |
| Wisconsin | 5,710 | $78,800 | 0.72 |
| Wyoming | 580 | $79,890 | 0.77 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products | 4 | 0.966 |
| 2 | Procurement Clerks | 1-2 | 0.965 |
| 3 | Compliance Managers | 4 | 0.959 |
| 4 | Purchasing Managers | 4 | 0.958 |
| 5 | Document Management Specialists | 4 | 0.958 |
| 6 | Freight Forwarders | 1-2 | 0.956 |
| 7 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 3 | 0.954 |
| 8 | Logistics Analysts | 4 | 0.953 |
| 9 | Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | 3 | 0.953 |
| 10 | Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 3 | 0.952 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Customs Brokers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postmasters and Mail Superintendents | Time Management | 0.88 | 0.944 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.939 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.939 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Customs Brokers, excluding software Customs Brokers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Dynamics | 9 of 20 | 3.5x |
| Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne | 7 of 20 | 4.7x |
| Microsoft SharePoint | 10 of 20 | 2.8x |
| IBM Notes | 8 of 20 | 3.6x |
| Optical character recognition OCR software | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Document management system software | 4 of 20 | 11.5x |
| Oracle PeopleSoft Financials | 5 of 20 | 5.6x |
| SAP Business Objects | 5 of 20 | 4.5x |
| Intuit QuickBooks | 6 of 20 | 3.3x |
| Tax software | 4 of 20 | 5.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.50 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Law and Government | 4.30 | 4.75 |
| Administrative | 4.21 | 5.40 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.16 | 5.15 |
| English Language | 3.95 | 4.15 |
| Transportation | 3.70 | 3.70 |
| Administration and Management | 3.65 | 4.65 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.30 | 4.10 |
| Education and Training | 3.25 | 4.45 |
| Economics and Accounting | 3.25 | 3.65 |
| Mathematics | 3.11 | 3.84 |
| Geography | 2.80 | 3.35 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.65 | 3.55 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.60 | 3.53 |
| Telecommunications | 2.60 | 1.55 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.50 | 2.80 |
| Production and Processing | 2.42 | 3.10 |
| Communications and Media | 2.26 | 2.05 |
| Foreign Language | 1.95 | 1.65 |
| Chemistry | 1.85 | 1.60 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.79 | 1.63 |
| Psychology | 1.74 | 1.45 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.60 | 1.30 |
| Mechanical | 1.60 | 1.20 |
| Biology | 1.56 | 1.06 |
| Food Production | 1.55 | 1.40 |
| Physics | 1.55 | 1.20 |
| Design | 1.50 | 1.30 |
| History and Archeology | 1.45 | 0.95 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.35 | 0.85 |
| Building and Construction | 1.30 | 0.65 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.26 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.25 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.15 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 3.50 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Memorization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Visualization | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.62 | 1.25 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Depth Perception | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Control Precision | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Outlook in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Microsoft Word in demand
- Microsoft Access hot
- SAP software hot
- Automated commercial environment software ACE
- Automated system for customs data ASYCUDA
- Customs records databases
- Electronic data interchange EDI software
- Materials requirement planning MRP software
- Optical character reader OCR software
- Parts classification databases
- SAP Customs Management
- Tariff databases
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Customs Brokers separately. These are the figures for Compliance Officers (13-1041), its parent occupation.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Pass, TX | 370 | 7.32 | $88,100 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 670 | 5.36 | $106,330 |
| Laredo, TX | 1,440 | 4.90 | $98,180 |
| El Centro, CA | 840 | 4.81 | $106,750 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 1,440 | 4.48 | $93,430 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 1,700 | 3.41 | $49,100 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 310 | 3.36 | $90,290 |
| Yuma, AZ | 590 | 3.17 | $64,820 |
| Helena, MT | 370 | 3.10 | $63,740 |
| Aguadilla, PR | 400 | 3.03 | $36,400 |