Postal Service Mail Carriers Salary: $62,007 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 336,040 postal service mail carriers nationally earn a mean of $62,007. Projections imply about 2.2% annual decline; CA accounts for about 20,030 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Postal Service Mail Carriers: what the data shows
Common questions about postal service mail carriers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a postal service mail carriers?
Postal Service Mail Carriers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-5052.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 336,040 workers.
What does a postal service mail carriers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a postal service mail carriers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $57,490 (May 2024 in our extract).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,138 |
| 25th percentile | $49,105 |
| Median (50th) | $59,648 |
| 75th percentile | $76,922 |
| 90th percentile | $76,922 |
What education do you need?
For Postal Service Mail Carriers, 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 Critical Thinking, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Time Management, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Sales and Marketing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is postal service mail carriers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -10.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -19.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 336,040.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do postal service mail carrierss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 336,040 | 16.7% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 336,040 | 16.7% |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) | 336,040 | 16.7% |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) | 336,040 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 336,040 | 16.7% |
| Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 336,040 | 16.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Postal Service Mail Carriers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians | 18,710 | $50,540 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers | 124,130 | $56,170 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | 143,590 | $33,720 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,725,930 | $42,830 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Postal Service Mail Carriers workforce.
Employment Over Time
336,040 Workforce in 2023
The Postal Service Mail Carriers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$62,007 Average Wage
In 2023, Postal Service Mail Carriers earned an average of $62,007.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Salary distribution for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
97,557 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -10.5%
87,315 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -19.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Postal Service Mail Carriers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Postal Service Mail Carriers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-4.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 20,030 employees, $62,223 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 3,250 employees, $61,640 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,950 employees, $61,210 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,690 employees, $62,633 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 2,050 employees, $63,713 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,740 employees, $64,934 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,460 employees, $62,906 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 860 employees, $60,730 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 660 employees, $63,601 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 630 employees, $58,616 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 580 employees, $62,845 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Postal Service Mail Carriers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Postal Service Mail Carriers in 2023 was 336,040 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
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 Carriers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Postal Service Mail Carriers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Postal Service Mail Carriers workers.
Education level distribution for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Skills
Postal Service Mail Carriers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Time Management.
Required skills for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Postal Service Mail Carriers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Sales and Marketing, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Postal Service Mail Carriers include Near Vision, Information Ordering, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Trunk Strength, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Postal Service Mail Carriers.
Daily Activities
Postal Service Mail Carriers spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
Most important work activities for Postal Service Mail Carriers.
About
Postal Service Mail Carriers
The average yearly wage for Postal Service Mail Carriers was $62,007 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-5052 - Postal Service Mail Carriers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Postal Service Mail Carriers reports an average salary of $62,007.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 336,040 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.2%, 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.