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Couriers and Messengers: NAICS 492

About the Couriers and Messengers subsector

The couriers and messengers subsector is part of the transportation and warehousing sector.

Industries in the Couriers and Messengers subsector provide intercity and/or local delivery of parcels and documents (including express delivery services) without operating under a universal service obligation. These articles can be described as those that may be handled by one person without using special equipment. This allows the collection, pick-up, and delivery operations to be done with limited labor costs and minimal equipment. Sorting and transportation activities, where necessary, are generally mechanized. The restriction to small parcels partly distinguishes these establishments from those in the transportation industries. The complete network of courier services establishments also distinguishes these transportation services from local messenger and delivery establishments in this subsector. This includes the establishments that perform intercity transportation as well as establishments that, under contract to them, perform local pick-up and delivery. Messengers, which usually deliver within a metropolitan or single urban area, may use bicycle, foot, small truck, or van.

North American Industry Classification System

The couriers and messengers subsector consists of these industry groups:

Couriers: NAICS 4921
Local Messengers and Local Delivery: NAICS 4922

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment in couriers and messengers. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment


Data series	May 2023	Jun. 2023	Jul. 2023	Aug. 2023
Employment (in thousands)
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)	1,126.0	1,114.2	(p)1,109.3	(p)1,100.3
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees	920.2	931.3	(p)910.1
Footnotes (p) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Employment by Occupation


Data series	Employment, 2022
Couriers and messengers	24,800
Customer service representatives	12,830
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance	9,160
First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators	45,220
Truck drivers, light or delivery services	436,660

(Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for couriers and messengers.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in couriers and messengers.

Earnings and Hours of All Employees


Data series	Apr. 2023	May 2023	Jun. 2023	Jul. 2023
Average hourly earnings	$24.18	$24.15	$24.26	(p)$24.08
Average weekly hours	33.2	32.7	33.2	(p)33.4
Footnotes (p) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees


Data series	Apr. 2023	May 2023	Jun. 2023	Jul. 2023
Average hourly earnings	$22.97	$22.78	$22.36	(p)$22.50
Average weekly hours	33.8	33.1	34.2	(p)33.7
Footnotes (p) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation


Data series	Wages, 2022
	Hourly		Annual
	Median	Mean	Median	Mean
Couriers and messengers	$17.52	$18.04	$36,440	$37,520
Customer service representatives	$22.79	$23.03	$47,410	$47,890
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance	$22.10	$23.85	$45,970	$49,610
First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators	$25.36	$29.91	$52,760	$62,210
Truck drivers, light or delivery services	$22.46	$26.03	$46,720	$54,140

(Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in couriers and messengers. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.


Data series	2018	2019	2020	2021
Fatalities
Number of fatalities	35	45	34	61
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.


Data series	2021
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers
Total recordable cases	7.1
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer	5.6
Cases involving days away from work	3.1
Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction	2.5
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Prices

This section provides industry-specific pricing information. The producer price index measures the percentage change in prices that domestic producers receive for goods and services. The prices included in the producer price index are from the first commercial transaction.


Data series	May 2023	Jun. 2023	Jul. 2023	Aug. 2023
Producer price index	(p)303.379	(p)302.691	(p)303.239	(p)306.743
Percent change from previous month	(p)-0.7%	(p)-0.2%	(p)0.2%	(p)1.2%
Footnotes (p) Preliminary

(Source: Producer Price Indexes)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in couriers and messengers. Also included in this section is information on productivity, presented as the rate of change in output per hour of workers in the industry.

Establishments


Data series	2nd quarter 2022	3rd quarter 2022	4th quarter 2022	1st quarter 2023
Number of establishments
Private industry	22,559	22,979	23,273	(p)23,340
Local government	3	3	3	(p)3
State government
Footnotes (p) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Productivity


Data series	2019	2020	2021	2022
Labor productivity index, output per hour	70.933	63.972	63.772	61.260
Percent change from previous year	-10.5	-9.8	-0.3	-3.9
Labor index, total labor hours	162.067	199.495	222.030	223.342
Percent change from previous year	12.8	23.1	11.3	0.6
Output index	114.958	127.622	141.592	136.820
Percent change from previous year	0.9	11.0	10.9	-3.4
Unit labor costs index	107.725	105.960	113.085	122.961
Percent change from previous year	3.8	-1.6	6.7	8.7

(Source: Productivity and Costs)

Data extracted on: September 27, 2023

Couriers and Messengers: NAICS 492

On This Page

About the Couriers and Messengers subsector

Workforce Statistics

Employment

Employment by Occupation

Projections

Earnings and Hours

Earnings and Hours of All Employees

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees

Earnings by Occupation

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

Prices

Workplace Trends

Establishments

Productivity