Couriers and Messengers Salary: $46,194 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 71,920 couriers and messengers nationally earn a mean of $46,194. Employment in the series shown rose about 6% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Couriers and Messengers: what the data shows
Common questions about couriers and messengers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a couriers and messengers?
Couriers and Messengers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-5021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 71,920 workers.
What does a couriers and messengers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Handling and Moving Objects, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a couriers and messengers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,340 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $46,194 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,295 |
| 25th percentile | $39,431 |
| Median (50th) | $45,561 |
| 75th percentile | $49,248 |
| 90th percentile | $58,248 |
What education do you need?
For Couriers and Messengers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Transportation, English Language, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is couriers and messengers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -14.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -26.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 71,920.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do couriers and messengerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 71,920 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 68,120 | 18.1% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 26,380 | 7.0% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 20,540 | 5.5% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 20,100 | 5.3% |
| Couriers and Messengers | 18,450 | 4.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Couriers and Messengers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Couriers and Messengers workforce.
Employment Over Time
71,920 Workforce in 2023
The Couriers and Messengers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Couriers and Messengers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$46,194 Average Wage
In 2023, Couriers and Messengers earned an average of $46,194.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Couriers and Messengers.
Salary distribution for Couriers and Messengers.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
29,835 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -14.4%
25,535 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -26.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Couriers and Messengers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Couriers and Messengers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Couriers and Messengers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Couriers and Messengers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Couriers and Messengers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Couriers and Messengers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,970 employees, $45,220 avg wage
- NY: 7,530 employees, $44,310 avg wage
- FL: 5,650 employees, $37,640 avg wage
- TX: 4,380 employees, $37,100 avg wage
- NC: 3,760 employees, $39,110 avg wage
- PA: 3,050 employees, $37,590 avg wage
- VA: 2,760 employees, $41,570 avg wage
- NJ: 2,490 employees, $42,780 avg wage
- WI: 2,110 employees, $36,640 avg wage
- OH: 2,080 employees, $38,110 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Couriers and Messengers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,130 employees, $45,950 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,500 employees, $44,270 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,930 employees, $38,330 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 1,900 employees, $24,890 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,660 employees, $39,970 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,380 employees, $46,450 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,360 employees, $38,480 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,190 employees, $49,470 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,160 employees, $41,420 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,070 employees, $38,100 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Couriers and Messengers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Couriers and Messengers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Couriers and Messengers in 2023 was 71,920 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Couriers and Messengers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Couriers and Messengers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Couriers and Messengers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Couriers and Messengers in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Couriers and Messengers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Couriers and Messengers workers.
Education level distribution for Couriers and Messengers.
Skills
Couriers and Messengers need many skills, but most especially Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Couriers and Messengers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Couriers and Messengers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Couriers and Messengers include Customer and Personal Service, Transportation, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Couriers and Messengers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Couriers and Messengers include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Far Vision, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Couriers and Messengers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Couriers and Messengers.
Daily Activities
Couriers and Messengers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Couriers and Messengers.
About
Couriers and Messengers
The average yearly wage for Couriers and Messengers was $46,194 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-5021 - Couriers and Messengers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Couriers and Messengers reports an average salary of $46,194.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 71,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.