Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Salary: $56,530 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 111,930 postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators work nationally, and $56,530 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 5.3% annual decline.
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators?
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-5053.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 111,930 workers.
What does a postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $56,530 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $61,088 — 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 | $43,517 |
| 25th percentile | $48,400 |
| Median (50th) | $58,728 |
| 75th percentile | $74,542 |
| 90th percentile | $75,645 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, and knowledge areas including English Language, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -23.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -41.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 111,930.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 111,930 | 16.7% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 111,920 | 16.7% |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) | 111,920 | 16.7% |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) | 111,920 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 111,920 | 16.7% |
| Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 111,920 | 16.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | 229,070 | $48,450 |
| Data Entry Keyers | 135,280 | $39,850 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
| Logging Equipment Operators | 22,520 | $49,210 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
111,930 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators shrank from 82,280 in 2009 to 34,640 in 2025 (57.9%).
Historical employment for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$56,530 Median pay (BLS national)
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators earn $56,530 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Salary distribution for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-5.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
26,434 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -23.7%
20,172 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -41.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
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: 11,330 employees, $59,800 avg wage
- NY: 9,170 employees, $59,030 avg wage
- FL: 7,480 employees, $57,680 avg wage
- TX: 7,430 employees, $59,080 avg wage
- PA: 6,010 employees, $57,910 avg wage
- IL: 5,920 employees, $58,190 avg wage
- OH: 4,170 employees, $57,420 avg wage
- NJ: 4,090 employees, $60,580 avg wage
- NC: 4,070 employees, $55,800 avg wage
- MI: 3,880 employees, $58,760 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 10,120 employees, $59,850 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,450 employees, $57,970 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 5,290 employees, $58,920 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,180 employees, $61,130 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,050 employees, $58,290 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,880 employees, $55,400 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 2,680 employees, $58,810 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,610 employees, $56,830 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,590 employees, $59,860 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,990 employees, $55,640 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is about 111,930 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
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 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Skills
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators include English Language, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators include Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Category Flexibility, Written Comprehension, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
Daily Activities
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators spend their time on activities such as Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators.
About
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators earn $56,530 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
43-5053 - Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators reports an average salary of $61,088.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 111,930 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -5.3%, 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.