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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

43-9051 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Use hand or mail handling machines to 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 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)
91,530 3.0 % $14.70 $30,580 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.19 $10.94 $14.02 $17.76 $21.74
Annual Wage (2) $19,110 $22,750 $29,160 $36,940 $45,220


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)
Business Support Services 14,140 1.54 $13.20 $27,450
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 11,370 2.35 $13.90 $28,900
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 9,020 2.39 $13.92 $28,950
Employment Services 6,050 0.17 $13.04 $27,120
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 4,990 0.25 $16.97 $35,300

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 9,020 2.39 $13.92 $28,950
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 11,370 2.35 $13.90 $28,900
Business Support Services 14,140 1.54 $13.20 $27,450
Printing and Related Support Activities 4,440 0.98 $14.98 $31,150
Activities Related to Credit Intermediation 1,490 0.51 $15.40 $32,030

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution 50 0.04 $24.56 $51,080
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 50 0.01 $23.33 $48,520
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 520 0.12 $19.19 $39,910
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 440 0.06 $18.67 $38,840
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 50 0.02 $18.62 $38,720


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)
New York 8,280 0.91 1.40 $16.72 $34,780
Texas 7,190 0.61 0.94 $14.09 $29,300
California 6,290 0.39 0.60 $16.39 $34,100
Illinois 5,480 0.93 1.42 $14.03 $29,170
Florida 5,330 0.65 0.99 $12.91 $26,860




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)
District of Columbia 1,280 1.82 2.80 $21.00 $43,680
Iowa 2,020 1.31 2.02 $13.21 $27,470
Minnesota 2,950 1.05 1.61 $15.21 $31,650
Delaware 460 1.04 1.59 $13.48 $28,040
Utah 1,410 1.03 1.57 $14.35 $29,860




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 1,280 1.82 2.80 $21.00 $43,680
Alaska 160 0.50 0.77 $17.75 $36,930
Massachusetts 2,030 0.59 0.90 $17.21 $35,800
New York 8,280 0.91 1.40 $16.72 $34,780
Washington 880 0.29 0.44 $16.59 $34,500





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-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,040 0.92 1.41 $16.43 $34,180
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 4,240 1.16 1.79 $14.37 $29,880
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 3,360 1.35 2.07 $17.15 $35,670
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,340 0.92 1.40 $13.17 $27,390
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,950 1.02 1.57 $15.40 $32,030
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,880 0.77 1.19 $14.62 $30,410
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,460 0.50 0.76 $14.70 $30,570
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 1,440 0.74 1.14 $12.84 $26,700
Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY Metropolitan Division 1,420 1.11 1.70 $16.63 $34,600
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division 1,370 0.76 1.17 $17.38 $36,150




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)
Lynchburg, VA 470 4.73 7.26 $11.77 $24,490
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 1,080 3.04 4.67 $13.51 $28,110
Topeka, KS 260 2.37 3.63 $11.47 $23,850
Springfield, IL 240 2.27 3.49 $11.28 $23,470
Fresno, CA 700 1.99 3.05 $14.17 $29,470
Cedar Rapids, IA 220 1.57 2.41 $13.98 $29,090
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 1,290 1.53 2.35 $13.75 $28,610
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 350 1.44 2.20 $13.85 $28,810
Great Falls, MT 50 1.44 2.21 $10.65 $22,160
Reading, PA 240 1.42 2.18 $14.47 $30,110




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Danbury, CT (8) (8) (8) $20.75 $43,160
Trenton, NJ 260 1.17 1.79 $18.96 $39,430
Dutchess County-Putnam County, NY Metropolitan Division 40 0.28 0.43 $18.66 $38,820
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 610 0.57 0.87 $18.28 $38,010
Framingham, MA NECTA Division 130 0.76 1.16 $18.17 $37,790
Salinas, CA 40 0.25 0.39 $18.16 $37,770
Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metropolitan Division 350 0.60 0.92 $18.10 $37,650
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 490 0.31 0.48 $17.89 $37,210
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 1,290 0.31 0.47 $17.79 $37,000
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 410 0.75 1.15 $17.72 $36,850

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 470 2.93 4.49 $15.72 $32,700
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 380 2.03 3.12 $13.74 $28,580
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 150 0.73 1.12 $11.76 $24,470
Northeast Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 1.04 1.60 $12.69 $26,390
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 120 0.63 0.97 $13.02 $27,080

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 470 2.93 4.49 $15.72 $32,700
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 380 2.03 3.12 $13.74 $28,580
Northeast Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 1.04 1.60 $12.69 $26,390
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 90 0.96 1.47 $13.62 $28,340
Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.86 1.32 $11.72 $24,380

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 30 0.49 0.76 $16.92 $35,190
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $16.88 $35,110
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 100 0.70 1.07 $16.87 $35,100
West Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 40 0.55 0.85 $16.64 $34,610
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 40 0.32 0.50 $16.58 $34,480


About May 2016 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.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017