Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
43-9051 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Time-stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.
National estimates for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Industry profile for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
Geographic profile for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
National estimates for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 66,600 |
2.3 % |
$ 18.45 |
$ 38,370 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.65 |
$ 15.64 |
$ 17.73 |
$ 20.61 |
$ 23.89 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,390 |
$ 32,540 |
$ 36,880 |
$ 42,860 |
$ 49,700 |
Industry profile for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Business Support Services |
11,280 |
1.50 |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
4,550 |
0.91 |
$ 17.39 |
$ 36,160 |
| Employment Services |
4,520 |
0.12 |
$ 17.20 |
$ 35,780 |
| Printing and Related Support Activities |
4,080 |
1.08 |
$ 18.70 |
$ 38,890 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
3,670 |
0.12 |
$ 18.80 |
$ 39,100 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Support Activities for Transportation |
580 |
1.58 |
$ 15.71 |
$ 32,680 |
| Business Support Services |
11,280 |
1.50 |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
3,220 |
1.10 |
$ 14.83 |
$ 30,850 |
| Printing and Related Support Activities |
4,080 |
1.08 |
$ 18.70 |
$ 38,890 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
4,550 |
0.91 |
$ 17.39 |
$ 36,160 |
Top paying industries for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 27.05 |
$ 56,260 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
270 |
0.03 |
$ 25.66 |
$ 53,370 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 25.41 |
$ 52,850 |
| Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds |
40 |
0.32 |
$ 24.14 |
$ 50,200 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
30 |
(7) |
$ 23.97 |
$ 49,850 |
Geographic profile for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
6,410 |
0.68 |
1.56 |
$ 20.43 |
$ 42,500 |
| California |
5,470 |
0.30 |
0.70 |
$ 21.35 |
$ 44,400 |
| Georgia |
4,960 |
1.04 |
2.38 |
$ 17.36 |
$ 36,120 |
| Texas |
4,290 |
0.32 |
0.72 |
$ 17.37 |
$ 36,130 |
| Pennsylvania |
3,710 |
0.62 |
1.42 |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Top paying states for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
6,290 |
0.66 |
1.51 |
$ 20.66 |
$ 42,980 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
3,390 |
1.20 |
2.74 |
$ 17.69 |
$ 36,790 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,630 |
0.42 |
0.97 |
$ 20.51 |
$ 42,660 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,180 |
0.70 |
1.60 |
$ 21.22 |
$ 44,140 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,150 |
0.76 |
1.74 |
$ 18.54 |
$ 38,560 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,920 |
0.43 |
0.97 |
$ 18.51 |
$ 38,490 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,570 |
0.40 |
0.90 |
$ 18.27 |
$ 38,000 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
1,260 |
0.66 |
1.50 |
$ 19.22 |
$ 39,980 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,120 |
0.35 |
0.80 |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
1,110 |
0.48 |
1.10 |
$ 17.13 |
$ 35,620 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| St. Cloud, MN |
290 |
2.90 |
6.61 |
$ 14.05 |
$ 29,220 |
| Topeka, KS |
310 |
2.76 |
6.30 |
$ 15.98 |
$ 33,240 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA |
90 |
2.10 |
4.78 |
$ 16.02 |
$ 33,330 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV |
170 |
1.68 |
3.84 |
$ 16.23 |
$ 33,760 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
550 |
1.25 |
2.85 |
$ 19.34 |
$ 40,230 |
| Columbus, GA-AL |
140 |
1.22 |
2.77 |
$ 16.54 |
$ 34,400 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
3,390 |
1.20 |
2.74 |
$ 17.69 |
$ 36,790 |
| Cheyenne, WY |
60 |
1.20 |
2.72 |
$ 16.47 |
$ 34,260 |
| Reading, PA |
190 |
1.13 |
2.57 |
$ 16.75 |
$ 34,840 |
| Trenton, NJ |
260 |
1.11 |
2.53 |
$ 20.49 |
$ 42,620 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
580 |
0.24 |
0.55 |
$ 24.26 |
$ 50,460 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
260 |
0.23 |
0.53 |
$ 22.84 |
$ 47,500 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
620 |
0.22 |
0.51 |
$ 22.26 |
$ 46,310 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
50 |
0.15 |
0.34 |
$ 22.17 |
$ 46,120 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
50 |
0.24 |
0.55 |
$ 22.06 |
$ 45,880 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
180 |
0.44 |
1.01 |
$ 21.99 |
$ 45,740 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
1,030 |
0.50 |
1.13 |
$ 21.87 |
$ 45,490 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
360 |
0.34 |
0.78 |
$ 21.51 |
$ 44,740 |
| Fresno, CA |
40 |
0.10 |
0.23 |
$ 21.26 |
$ 44,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,180 |
0.70 |
1.60 |
$ 21.22 |
$ 44,140 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
