What does it cost to hire a cargo and freight agent in El Paso?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $45,320 median wage in the El Paso, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $9,064 to $13,596 on the first year salary alone.

Hiring a cargo and freight agent in El Paso, TX

Employers in the El Paso, TX area pay cargo and freight agents a median of $45,320 a year, with the middle half of the market between $35,230 and $48,830 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-5011). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do El Paso residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the El Paso, TX area pay?

El Paso residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $30,811 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $39,570 as the median of the 42 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the El Paso, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 22%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the El Paso, TX area the group covers 42 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from switchboard operators, including answering service at $27,510 to postal service clerks at $64,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with cargo and freight agents at $45,320 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 42 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what El Paso residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a cargo and freight agent earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to cargo and freight agents by employers in the El Paso, TX area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-5011.
25th percentile	$35,230
Median	$45,320
75th percentile	$48,830

Half of cargo and freight agents in this area earn between $35,230 and $48,830 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $35,230 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 43-5011 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What El Paso residents earn

$30,811

Median annual earnings of El Paso residents working in office and administrative support occupations, 37,025 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
Track delivery progress of shipments.
Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.

Task statements for SOC 43-5011, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Transportation management system TMS software, SAP software, Brokerage software.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 43-5011 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in El Paso?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-5011.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 27.5% of El Paso adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of El Paso aged 25 and over.

The average El Paso commute runs 23.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 7.8% of El Paso workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for El Paso.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In El Paso County, administrative and support services employs 28,392 and turns over 13.9% a quarter, with 9,084 hires against 9,510 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $3,635 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 56.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about cargo and freight agents. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $45,320 median in the El Paso, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $9,064 to $13,596 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a cargo and freight agent in El Paso

What does it cost to hire a cargo and freight agent in El Paso?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $45,320 median wage in the El Paso, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $9,064 to $13,596 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a cargo and freight agent in El Paso look like?: Employers in the El Paso, TX area pay cargo and freight agents a median of $45,320, with the middle half of the market between $35,230 and $48,830 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $35,230 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do El Paso residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the El Paso, TX area pay?: El Paso residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $30,811 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $39,570 as the median of the 42 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the El Paso, TX area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 22%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in El Paso?: This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 27.5% of El Paso adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a cargo and freight agent somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other office and administrative support roles in El Paso

El Paso is the 6th largest of 17 Texas cities in this dataset.