State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Postal Service Mail Carrier Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Postal Service Mail Carriers earn a median of $60,550 per year ($29.11/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 3.5% through 2034, with about 20,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 43-5052Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $60,550
- Projected growth
- -3.5%
- Openings a year
- 20,600
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: City Carrier, City Carrier Assistant (CCA), City Letter Carrier, City Mail Carrier, Letter Carrier, Mail Carrier.
How much do Postal Service Mail Carriers make?
10th percentile$42,390
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$48,940
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$60,550
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$81,000
Upper quartile
90th percentile$81,040
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $60,550 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $29.11/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $62,540 |
| People employed | 328,820 |
Versus all US occupations
At $60,550, Postal Service Mail Carriers earn 19% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $9,570 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 25% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $81,040 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,390, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 43% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($64,250), but once local prices are taken into account Arkansas leads at $68,670 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Postal Service Mail Carriers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $64,250 | $58,462 | 930 |
| Rhode Island | $63,610 | $62,192 | 1,220 |
| Arizona | $62,390 | $61,970 | 5,300 |
| California | $62,090 | $56,078 | 32,320 |
| Illinois | $62,070 | $62,096 | 14,730 |
| Maryland | $62,070 | $59,137 | 6,420 |
| Massachusetts | $62,070 | $58,691 | 7,630 |
| Nevada | $62,070 | $62,083 | 2,530 |
| New York | $62,070 | $57,514 | 20,580 |
| Virginia | $62,070 | $61,392 | 7,900 |
Is Postal Service Mail Carrier a growing career?
Postal Service Mail Carriers-3.5%
All US occupations3.1%
-3.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Postal Service Mail Carriers to change -3.5% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 11,300 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 20,600 openings are projected each year, 6.4% of the 319,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The postal service likely will need fewer workers because new mail sorting technology can read text and automatically sort, forward, and process mail. The greater use of online services to pay bills and the increased use of online communications should also reduce the need for sorting and processing workers.
Meanwhile, the amount of time carriers save on sorting letter mail and flat mail will allow them to increase the size of their routes, which should reduce the need to hire more carriers. In addition, the postal service is adopting more centralized mail delivery, such as the use of cluster mailboxes, to cut down on the number of door-to-door deliveries.
How to become a Postal Service Mail Carrier
To enter these occupations, postal service workers typically need no formal educational credential. However, job candidates must pass a written exam as part of the application process. The exam covers four areas: address cross comparison, forms completion, memory and coding, and personal characteristics and experience. For more information, contact the post office or mail processing center where you want to work.
Postal service workers must meet certain employment qualifications. For example, they must be at least 18 years old, or 16 years old with a high school diploma; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; and pass a criminal background check, a medical assessment, and a drug screening. They also may be asked to show that they can lift and handle heavy mail sacks.
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as postal service mail carriers.
- High School Diploma78.2%
- Less than a High School Diploma14.6%
- Some College Courses7.2%
What does a Postal Service Mail Carrier do?
Sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot. Includes postal service mail carriers employed by USPS contractors.
Postal service workers sell postage and related products and collect, sort, and deliver mail.
Day-to-day tasks
- Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.
- Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
- Leave notices telling patrons where to collect mail that could not be delivered.
- Report any unusual circumstances concerning mail delivery, including the condition of street letter boxes.
- Provide customers with change of address cards and other forms.
- Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
- Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
- Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.0/5
- Speaking3.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.0/5
- Reading Comprehension2.6/5
- Monitoring2.6/5
- Writing2.1/5
- Active Learning2.0/5
- Learning Strategies1.8/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Coordination2.8/5
- Service Orientation2.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.3/5
- Operations Monitoring2.3/5
- Operation and Control2.3/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Human resources software
- Map creation software
- Time accounting software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Postal Service Mail Carrier?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary3.6
Investigative1.0
Artistic1.0
Social2.7
Enterprising2.9
Conventionalprimary6.3
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Postal Service Mail Carrier: frequently asked questions
How much do Postal Service Mail Carriers make?
Postal Service Mail Carriers earn a median of $60,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 19% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $29.11/hr. The middle half earn between $48,940 and $81,000. The top 10% earn $81,040 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Postal Service Mail Carrier?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Postal Service Mail Carriers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 78.2% hold high school diploma.
Is Postal Service Mail Carrier a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 3.5% over 2024–2034, a loss of 11,300 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 20,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Postal Service Mail Carrier do?
Postal service workers sell postage and related products and collect, sort, and deliver mail. A core O*NET task: scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Operating system software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Postal Service Mail Carriers the most?
The highest state medians for Postal Service Mail Carriers are District of Columbia ($64,250), Rhode Island ($63,610), Arizona ($62,390) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Arkansas moves to the top at $68,670.
What personality type suits a Postal Service Mail Carrier?
O*NET scores Postal Service Mail Carriers highest on the Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISFJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.