Trade Compliance Specialist Salary & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 1,384 US job postings by 392 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for trade compliance specialists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 1,384 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for trade compliance specialists in US job postings is $76,000 a year (339 postings from 120 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $55,000 to $110,000.
- The skills that most set trade compliance specialist postings apart are trade compliance, hts classification, Excel.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 3 years of experience.
Trade Compliance Specialist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $76,000
- Median advertised pay (339 postings)
- $55,000–$110,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 1,384
- US job postings from 392 employers
- 3 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a trade compliance specialist make?
The median advertised pay is $76,000 a year, from 339 US job postings by 120 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $146,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 339 US trade compliance specialist job postings: median $76,000 a year, middle half $55,000 to $110,000.
- Median: $76,000
- 25th percentile: $55,000
- 75th percentile: $110,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 1.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 9.6% |
| $40K–$50K | 5.3% |
| $50K–$60K | 17.2% |
| $60K–$70K | 11.0% |
| $70K–$80K | 7.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 10.1% |
| $90K–$100K | 6.7% |
| $100K–$110K | 6.2% |
| $110K–$120K | 7.2% |
| $120K–$130K | 1.4% |
| $130K–$140K | 4.3% |
| $140K–$150K | 2.4% |
| $150K–$160K | 3.8% |
| $160K–$170K | 1.0% |
| $170K–$180K | 2.4% |
| $180K–$190K | 1.4% |
| $190K–$200K | 0.5% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pay postings, annualised | $76,000 | $55K–$110K | 339 |
What is the starting salary for a trade compliance specialist?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Skills employers ask for in trade compliance specialist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 49% |
| Excel | 43% |
| Organizational skills | 33% |
| Problem-solving | 32% |
| Microsoft Office | 31% |
| Attention to detail | 30% |
| Analytical skills | 26% |
| Word | 22% |
| Outlook | 21% |
| Interpersonal skills | 15% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set trade compliance specialists apart
- Trade compliance1104.3× as often as in all postings · 12%
- Hts classification1499.2× as often as in all postings · 9%
- Excel4.2× as often as in all postings · 43%
- Customs brokerage1250.8× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Ear793.5× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Itar271.9× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Microsoft Office3.6× as often as in all postings · 31%
- Outlook5.1× as often as in all postings · 21%
- Analytical skills3.5× as often as in all postings · 26%
- Word3.9× as often as in all postings · 22%
- SAP10.2× as often as in all postings · 11%
- Detail oriented5× as often as in all postings · 7%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a trade compliance specialist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a trade compliance specialist do?
Employers post these jobs as Customs Entry Writer, Trade Compliance Analyst, Trade Compliance Manager, Trade Analyst, Entry Writer and other titles. The largest specializations are Customs Specialist (66%), Export Coordinator (8%), FTZ Specialist (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Customs Brokers (13-1041.08). Its most important tasks:
- Pay, or arrange for payment of, taxes and duties on shipments.
- Classify goods according to tariff coding system.
- Clear goods through customs and to their destinations for clients.
- Prepare and process import and export documentation according to customs regulations, laws, or procedures.
- Stay abreast of changes in import or export laws or regulations by reading current literature, attending meetings or conferences, or conferring with colleagues.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a trade compliance specialist?
Among 426 postings that state a minimum, the median is 3 years. 4% say 0 years and 18% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 426 US trade compliance specialist job postings: median 3 years, and 18% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 4% |
| 1 yr | 14% |
| 2 yrs | 20% |
| 3-4 yrs | 25% |
| 5-7 yrs | 28% |
| 8-9 yrs | 4% |
| 10+ yrs | 4% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Other names for a trade compliance specialist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Trade Compliance Specialist | 47 (12.0%) |
| Customs Entry Writer | 32 (8.2%) |
| Trade Compliance Analyst | 31 (7.9%) |
| Trade Compliance Manager | 26 (6.6%) |
| Trade Analyst | 17 (4.3%) |
| Entry Writer | 15 (3.8%) |
| Customs Specialist | 14 (3.6%) |
| Customs Compliance Specialist | 11 (2.8%) |
| Customs Analyst | 11 (2.8%) |
| Export Compliance Specialist | 9 (2.3%) |
| Manager, Trade Compliance | 9 (2.3%) |
| Global Trade Compliance Manager | 8 (2.0%) |
| Senior Trade Compliance Specialist | 8 (2.0%) |
| Customs Compliance Manager | 7 (1.8%) |
| Import/Export Analyst | 7 (1.8%) |
| Customs Brokerage Specialist | 7 (1.8%) |
| Trade Compliance Coordinator | 7 (1.8%) |
| Export Compliance Manager | 7 (1.8%) |
| Import Coordinator | 7 (1.8%) |
| Export Specialist | 6 (1.5%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Trade Compliance Specialist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Compliance Specialist | $76K | 3 years | 1,384 | – |
| Logistics Manager | $70K | 3 years | 13,004 | 20 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $100K | 3 years | 4,489 | 16 |
| Operations Manager | $85K | 3 years | 12,850 | 19 |
| Sales Coordinator | $23.00/hr | 2 years | 1,785 | 21 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Logistics Manager | 20 | $70K |
| Supply Chain Manager | 16 | $100K |
| Operations Manager | 19 | $85K |
| Sales Coordinator | 21 | $23.00/hr |
| Administrative Assistant | 18 | $21.50/hr |
| Loan Processor | 18 | $57K |
Applying for trade compliance specialist jobs?
- Trade compliance specialist resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a trade compliance specialist make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.