Cargo and Freight Agents in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Cargo and Freight Agents pay in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI at a median of $45,060 per year ($21.66/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $52,260, the metro estimate is 14% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 260 cargo and freight agents are employed across the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood MSA in SOC 43-5011.

The Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood pay distribution spans from $38,750 at the 10th percentile to $94,850 at the 90th, a 2.4× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $44,300 and the 75th at $58,740, so half of Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood-based cargo and freight agents earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide MI estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.