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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

43-5053 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors. Excludes “Postal Service Clerks” (43-5051) and “Postal Service Mail Carriers” (43-5052).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
102,390 0.0 % $24.61 $51,190 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.19 $18.77 $28.91 $29.21 $29.46
Annual Wage (2) $35,760 $39,030 $60,140 $60,750 $61,270

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (federal government) 102,390 16.21 $24.61 $51,190

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (federal government) 102,390 16.21 $24.61 $51,190

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service (federal government) 102,390 16.21 $24.61 $51,190

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 12,210 0.70 1.01 $24.85 $51,680
New York 8,730 0.92 1.31 $24.79 $51,550
Texas 6,290 0.51 0.73 $25.21 $52,440
Florida 5,950 0.68 0.97 $24.68 $51,330
Illinois 5,510 0.91 1.31 $24.65 $51,270




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 610 1.27 1.82 $24.19 $50,320
New Jersey 4,730 1.16 1.66 $25.27 $52,560
New Hampshire 650 0.99 1.42 $24.11 $50,150
New York 8,730 0.92 1.31 $24.79 $51,550
Missouri 2,590 0.92 1.32 $24.49 $50,950




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 510 0.70 1.01 $26.13 $54,360
Delaware 390 0.86 1.23 $25.54 $53,120
Connecticut 1,130 0.68 0.98 $25.38 $52,780
Washington 1,870 0.56 0.81 $25.31 $52,650
New Jersey 4,730 1.16 1.66 $25.27 $52,560





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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 10,530 1.09 1.56 $25.12 $52,250
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,390 0.86 1.24 $24.68 $51,330
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4,980 1.06 1.53 $24.67 $51,310
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,830 0.77 1.11 $26.13 $54,350
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,600 0.82 1.17 $25.61 $53,260
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,550 0.89 1.27 $26.09 $54,270
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,540 1.03 1.47 $25.66 $53,370
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,220 0.81 1.16 $24.91 $51,820
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 2,190 1.10 1.58 $25.21 $52,440
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 2,010 0.72 1.03 $24.67 $51,320




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Charleston, WV 400 3.66 5.25 $22.17 $46,120
Springfield, MA-CT 1,000 3.00 4.31 $24.59 $51,160
Greensboro-High Point, NC 930 2.53 3.63 $24.52 $51,000
Manchester, NH 290 2.50 3.58 $24.57 $51,110
Trenton, NJ 570 2.35 3.37 $25.90 $53,880
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 870 2.35 3.37 $24.76 $51,500
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 760 2.31 3.31 $23.33 $48,530
Fayetteville, NC 270 2.07 2.97 $23.40 $48,670
Champaign-Urbana, IL 210 2.05 2.94 $23.96 $49,840
Rocky Mount, NC 110 1.95 2.80 $25.33 $52,690