Cargo and Freight Agents Salary
Cargo and Freight Agents in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $50,220 a year, or about $24.15 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $73K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $50,918 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 45.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About cargo and freight agents
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Cargo and freight agents pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $50K locally vs. $52K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 44.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cargo and freight agents in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $49K | $47K |
| Laredo | $37K | $42K |
| El Paso | $45K | $50K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $47K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level cargo and freight agents (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $73K or more, a $37K spread from bottom to top.
Cargo and Freight Agents pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cargo and Freight Agents salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $76K | +46% | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $68K | +29% | 80 |
| South Dakota | $64K | +23% | 200 |
| Nebraska | $63K | +20% | 390 |
| Washington | $61K | +16% | 2,410 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +15% | 140 |
| New Jersey | $60K | +15% | 4,280 |
| New York | $60K | +15% | 5,760 |
| Illinois | $60K | +14% | 6,110 |
| Montana | $59K | +13% | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $59K | +12% | 820 |
| Minnesota | $59K | +12% | 1,380 |
| California | $58K | +10% | 17,060 |
| Wisconsin | $57K | +10% | 1,280 |
| South Carolina | $57K | +9% | 1,540 |
| Alabama | $55K | +5% | 1,020 |
| North Dakota | $54K | +4% | 380 |
| Utah | $53K | +1% | 590 |
| Alaska | $52K | -0% | 580 |
| Tennessee | $52K | -1% | 3,390 |
| Colorado | $51K | -2% | 850 |
| Georgia | $51K | -2% | 3,630 |
| Missouri | $51K | -3% | 1,410 |
| Arkansas | $51K | -3% | N/A |
| Maine | $50K | -4% | 190 |
| Indiana | $50K | -4% | 1,200 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | -4% | 300 |
| Mississippi | $50K | -4% | 260 |
| Arizona | $50K | -5% | 1,840 |
| Virginia | $50K | -5% | 1,280 |
| Pennsylvania | $50K | -5% | 2,810 |
| Ohio | $50K | -5% | 2,840 |
| Oregon | $49K | -5% | 1,290 |
| West Virginia | $49K | -6% | 130 |
| Louisiana | $49K | -6% | 840 |
| New Mexico | $49K | -6% | 110 |
| Maryland | $49K | -7% | 740 |
| Florida | $49K | -7% | 8,110 |
| Texas | $48K | -7% | 7,610 |
| Iowa | $48K | -7% | 660 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -8% | 2,520 |
| Michigan | $48K | -8% | 2,150 |
| Vermont | $48K | -9% | 80 |
| Nevada | $47K | -10% | 490 |
| Kentucky | $46K | -12% | 2,570 |
| Idaho | $46K | -13% | 300 |
| Kansas | $43K | -19% | 890 |
| Hawaii | $42K | -19% | 1,760 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cargo and freight agents salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cargo and freight agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 44.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cargo and freight agents in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cargo and freight agents typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,189/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 72% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cargo and freight agent a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $50K locally vs. $52K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for cargo and freight agents?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $52K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do cargo and freight agents make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $50,220 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,490, and experienced cargo and freight agents can clear $73,150. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,533/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 44.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a cargo and freight agents salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cargo and freight agents salary is worth about $50,918 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cargo and freight agents get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.