Pay by state · 54 areas
Postal Service Mail Carrier Salary by State (2026)
Postal Service Mail Carriers earn the most in District of Columbia at $64,250 a year and the least in Mississippi at $57,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $60,550. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $64,250District of Columbia
- National median
- $60,550BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $57,470Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for postal service mail carriers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Arkansas comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$64,250
- 2Rhode Island$63,610
- 3Arizona$62,390
- 4California$62,090
- 5Illinois$62,070
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$57,470
- 2West Virginia$57,700
- 3South Carolina$57,700
- 4Georgia$57,700
- 5Alabama$57,700
All states
Postal Service Mail Carrier salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of postal service mail carriers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $64,250 | $51,130 | $81,040 | 930 | $58,462 |
| 2 | RIRhode Island | $63,610 | $51,130 | $81,040 | 1,220 | $62,192 |
| 3 | AZArizona | $62,390 | $49,960 | $81,040 | 5,300 | $61,970 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $62,090 | $51,130 | $81,040 | 32,320 | $56,078 |
| 5 | ILIllinois | $62,070 | $51,110 | $81,040 | 14,730 | $62,096 |
| 6 | MDMaryland | $62,070 | $49,960 | $81,040 | 6,420 | $59,137 |
| 7 | MAMassachusetts | $62,070 | $52,190 | $81,040 | 7,630 | $58,691 |
| 8 | NVNevada | $62,070 | $49,960 | $81,040 | 2,530 | $62,083 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $62,070 | $51,130 | $81,040 | 20,580 | $57,514 |
| 10 | VAVirginia | $62,070 | $48,940 | $79,580 | 7,900 | $61,392 |
| 11 | CTConnecticut | $61,130 | $48,940 | $81,040 | 4,510 | $59,000 |
| 12 | FLFlorida | $61,130 | $48,940 | $81,000 | 20,810 | $59,112 |
| 13 | NJNew Jersey | $61,130 | $51,130 | $81,040 | 10,160 | $56,183 |
| 14 | OHOhio | $61,130 | $51,130 | $81,000 | 12,680 | $65,891 |
| 15 | SDSouth Dakota | $60,760 | $44,160 | $75,190 | 850 | $68,589 |
| 16 | TXTexas | $60,550 | $44,160 | $80,500 | 26,700 | $62,386 |
| 17 | MNMinnesota | $59,990 | $51,130 | $76,770 | 5,890 | $60,829 |
| 18 | NHNew Hampshire | $59,990 | $52,190 | $74,550 | 1,560 | $57,591 |
| 19 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,990 | $43,120 | $81,000 | 11,030 | $63,599 |
| 20 | WAWashington | $59,990 | $51,130 | $79,580 | 6,550 | $56,059 |
| 21 | AKAlaska | $59,880 | $52,520 | $73,010 | 450 | $58,500 |
| 22 | COColorado | $59,880 | $51,130 | $76,770 | 5,100 | $58,107 |
| 23 | DEDelaware | $59,880 | $46,510 | $81,000 | 1,130 | $59,995 |
| 24 | HIHawaii | $59,880 | $52,520 | $81,040 | 1,200 | $54,461 |
| 25 | INIndiana | $59,880 | $48,940 | $77,290 | 6,910 | $64,160 |
| 26 | IAIowa | $59,880 | $48,940 | $75,440 | 3,730 | $68,230 |
| 27 | MIMichigan | $59,880 | $48,940 | $79,580 | 11,610 | $62,234 |
| 28 | MOMissouri | $59,880 | $48,940 | $78,270 | 7,260 | $65,935 |
| 29 | NENebraska | $59,880 | $48,940 | $75,190 | 2,150 | $66,457 |
| 30 | NMNew Mexico | $59,880 | $50,290 | $79,580 | 1,570 | $64,937 |
| 31 | OKOklahoma | $59,880 | $44,160 | $77,940 | 4,130 | $68,167 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $59,880 | $51,110 | $80,600 | 13,900 | $61,370 |
| 33 | UTUtah | $59,880 | $51,110 | $79,980 | 2,460 | $60,568 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $59,880 | $51,110 | $76,960 | 6,470 | $63,638 |
| 35 | WYWyoming | $59,880 | $51,110 | $75,190 | 430 | $64,602 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $59,700 | $43,120 | $78,520 | 3,030 | $68,670 |
| 37 | OROregon | $59,400 | $51,130 | $73,010 | 3,760 | $57,468 |
| 38 | MEMaine | $59,010 | $51,110 | $76,770 | 1,510 | $60,804 |
| 39 | MTMontana | $59,010 | $48,940 | $73,010 | 830 | $62,349 |
| 40 | NDNorth Dakota | $59,010 | $48,940 | $72,840 | 800 | $66,334 |
| 41 | VTVermont | $59,010 | $48,940 | $75,190 | 690 | $60,240 |
| 42 | KYKentucky | $58,910 | $44,160 | $76,960 | 4,640 | $65,340 |
| 43 | LALouisiana | $58,910 | $44,160 | $78,460 | 5,090 | $66,786 |
| 44 | TNTennessee | $58,570 | $42,390 | $77,460 | 7,310 | $63,753 |
| 45 | KSKansas | $58,540 | $48,940 | $76,960 | 3,310 | $64,995 |
| 46 | IDIdaho | $57,820 | $43,120 | $75,190 | 1,660 | $60,548 |
| 47 | ALAlabama | $57,700 | $42,390 | $76,960 | 5,840 | $64,961 |
| 48 | GAGeorgia | $57,700 | $42,390 | $76,960 | 10,790 | $59,921 |
| 49 | PRPuerto Rico | $57,700 | $53,390 | $76,770 | 1,240 | N/A |
| 50 | SCSouth Carolina | $57,700 | $42,390 | $73,010 | 5,650 | $61,547 |
| 51 | WVWest Virginia | $57,700 | $43,120 | $75,520 | 1,850 | $64,471 |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $57,470 | $42,390 | $75,820 | 3,290 | $66,093 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $56,080 | $52,210 | $70,450 | 40 | N/A |
| 54 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $55,490 | $48,940 | $81,040 | 40 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For postal service mail carriers, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $64,250, while Arkansas leads once prices are taken into account at $68,670.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Postal Service Mail Carrier pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays postal service mail carriers the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for postal service mail carriers at $64,250 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Rhode Island ($63,610) and Arizona ($62,390).
Which state pays postal service mail carriers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for postal service mail carriers at $57,470 a year, $6,780 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $57,700, Guam reports $56,080 and U.S. Virgin Islands reports $55,490.
Is the highest-paying state the best for postal service mail carriers after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($64,250) but ranks 43rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($58,462). Arkansas leads after that adjustment at $68,670, from a raw median of $59,700. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.