Food Broker Salary: What You’ll Make and Why
Food brokers make around $57,451 to $84,080 on average in the US, depending on experience, location, skills, and other factors.
According to various salary aggregate websites, a food broker’s salary in the US ranges between $57,451 and $84,080, with an average salary of $66,334. As of July 2022, the base salaries for food brokers are listed as follows:
| Payscale | ZipRecruiter | Indeed | Salary.com | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $57,451 | $57,897 | $74,324 | $57,916 | $84,080 |
Keep in mind: Salary aggregate websites typically rely on data submitted anonymously by individuals using their site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of data of either higher or lower than average salaries, which may affect the site’s calculated average.
Read more: What Is a Food Broker? How to Become One
What influences a salary?
The salary of a Food Broker is determined by a number of factors, including education, experience, and job location. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these factors impact salary.
Years of experience
Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level. In general, the more years you spend working as a food broker, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s how experience can impact your food broker salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Compensation Survey.
| Level of experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (less than 1 year) | $38,757 |
| Early career (1 to 4 years) | $48,897 |
| Mid career (5 to 9 years) | $64,075 |
| Experienced (10 to 19 years) | $82,613 |
| Late career (20+ years) | $107,892 |
Location
Where you live can also impact how much you can make as a food broker. Typically, working in a large metropolitan area correlates to a higher salary, as well as a higher cost of living.
Here is a list of some major cities with their corresponding average food broker salary according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $83,697 |
| Washington DC, DC | $81,157 |
| St. Louis, MO | $80,843 |
| Baltimore, MD | $79,445 |
| Chicago, IL | $78,824 |
| Portland, OR | $57,607 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $54,960 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $53,926 |
| Miami, FL | $44,049 |
| Tampa Bay, FL | $42,990 |
How does this compare to similar jobs?
Here’s how a food broker’s salary stacks up against similar jobs.
| Related Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Commodities Broker | $77,452 |
| Account Manager | $51,057 |
| Sales Representative | $47,187 |
| Business Development Manager | $67,764 |
| Buyer | $54,266 |
| Produce Buyer | $68,956 |
| Purchasing Manager | $72,306 |
| Purchasing Agent | $47,863 |
| Food Sales Representative | $54,455 |
How to increase your food broker salary
Now that you have a better idea of what you could expect to earn as a food broker, let’s look at ways to boost your salary.
1. Strengthen your skills
Pursuing and improving in-demand skills could make you more competitive for promotions and higher-paying positions. These skills include:
- Product Knowledge: Understand the features and benefits of the products you are selling
- Market Knowledge: Stay up-to-date on industry trends and understand who your target customers are
- Sales Skills: Know how to identify customer needs and close deals
- Negotiation Skills: Be able to negotiate prices with suppliers and customers
- Relationship Management: Maintain positive relationships with customers, suppliers, and other industry contacts
2. Grow your network
In the food industry, it’s all about who you know. The more people you know in the industry, the more likely you are to hear about new opportunities, and the more negotiating power you’ll have when it comes to salary. Attend industry events, and make an effort to connect with as many people as possible.
3. Seek regular feedback
If you’re not sure how you’re doing at your job, ask your boss for regular feedback. This way, you can get a sense of what areas you need to work on, and you can also get an idea of how much your boss values your work. If you feel like you’re not being paid what you’re worth, you can use this feedback to negotiate a higher salary.
Article Sources
1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “National Compensation Survey, https://www.bls.gov/ncs/.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes191012.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
3. Payscale. “Food Distribution Sales Salary, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Food_Distribution_Sales/Salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
4. Ziprecruiter. “Food Broker Annual Salary, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Food-Broker-Salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
5. Indeed. “Indeed Salary Finder, https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
6. Salary.com. “Food Broker Salary, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/position/food-broker-salary.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
7. Glassdoor. “Food Broker Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/food-broker-salary-SRCH_KO0,11.htm.” Accessed July 2, 2022.
