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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
86,150 2.1 % $15.41 $32,040 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.86 $11.80 $14.63 $18.33 $22.48
Annual Wage (2) $20,510 $24,550 $30,430 $38,120 $46,760


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 13,640 1.51 $14.34 $29,830
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 9,870 2.02 $14.10 $29,320
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 7,500 2.26 $14.25 $29,630
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 4,780 0.24 $17.39 $36,170
Printing and Related Support Activities 3,920 0.90 $15.97 $33,220

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 7,500 2.26 $14.25 $29,630
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 9,870 2.02 $14.10 $29,320
Business Support Services 13,640 1.51 $14.34 $29,830
Printing and Related Support Activities 3,920 0.90 $15.97 $33,220
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services 1,810 0.57 $14.83 $30,840

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution (8) (8) $24.05 $50,010
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 50 0.01 $22.56 $46,930
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 130 0.03 $21.04 $43,760
Grantmaking and Giving Services 60 0.04 $20.21 $42,030
Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures 90 0.32 $18.95 $39,410


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 8,990 0.96 1.61 $17.38 $36,150
California 6,650 0.39 0.66 $16.36 $34,030
Illinois 6,630 1.11 1.86 $14.24 $29,610
Texas 5,920 0.49 0.82 $14.60 $30,370
Pennsylvania 4,920 0.84 1.41 $15.14 $31,500




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)
Vermont 490 1.61 2.71 $16.90 $35,160
District of Columbia 820 1.15 1.93 $22.62 $47,050
Connecticut 1,860 1.12 1.88 $16.52 $34,360
Illinois 6,630 1.11 1.86 $14.24 $29,610
Virginia 4,050 1.06 1.78 $14.72 $30,620




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 820 1.15 1.93 $22.62 $47,050
Alaska 100 0.31 0.52 $19.81 $41,210
Massachusetts 1,770 0.49 0.83 $17.85 $37,140
Rhode Island 240 0.49 0.83 $17.84 $37,100
Hawaii 130 0.20 0.33 $17.83 $37,080





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 8,820 0.93 1.56 $17.40 $36,190
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 5,900 1.27 2.13 $14.24 $29,620
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,490 1.11 1.87 $17.19 $35,750
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,790 0.98 1.65 $16.69 $34,720
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,210 0.62 1.04 $14.82 $30,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,060 0.34 0.56 $16.30 $33,900
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,920 0.71 1.20 $14.03 $29,180
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,670 0.85 1.43 $15.44 $32,120
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,510 0.55 0.92 $17.97 $37,370
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1,200 2.05 3.45 $15.74 $32,730




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)
Reading, PA 720 4.08 6.85 $11.81 $24,560
Lynchburg, VA 380 3.77 6.33 $13.52 $28,120
Topeka, KS 350 3.15 5.29 $11.79 $24,520
Carson City, NV 60 2.09 3.51 $13.21 $27,470
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1,200 2.05 3.45 $15.74 $32,730
Fresno, CA 700 1.85 3.11 $14.43 $30,000
Wheeling, WV-OH 100 1.67 2.81 $14.92 $31,040
Valdosta, GA 90 1.67 2.80 $9.42 $19,600
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 310 1.58 2.65 $12.14 $25,260
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 550 1.48 2.49 $16.21 $33,710




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)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 260 0.23 0.39 $20.40 $42,420
Anchorage, AK 40 0.25 0.41 $19.53 $40,620
Fayetteville, NC 70 0.57 0.95 $19.35 $40,250
Urban Honolulu, HI 100 0.21 0.35 $18.71 $38,920
Iowa City, IA 40 0.38 0.64 $18.71 $38,910
New Haven, CT (8) (8) (8) $18.70 $38,890
Trenton, NJ 250 1.08 1.81 $18.49 $38,470
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 40 0.13 0.22 $18.44 $38,360
Salinas, CA 40 0.22 0.37 $18.31 $38,080
Springfield, MA-CT 110 0.33 0.56 $18.16 $37,780

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)
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 380 2.01 3.38 $16.29 $33,880
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 370 2.36 3.96 $15.85 $32,970
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 370 1.61 2.71 $14.46 $30,070
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 160 0.49 0.82 $11.18 $23,260
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 140 0.96 1.61 $15.82 $32,900

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 370 2.36 3.96 $15.85 $32,970
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 380 2.01 3.38 $16.29 $33,880
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 140 1.67 2.81 $12.54 $26,070
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 370 1.61 2.71 $14.46 $30,070
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 100 1.02 1.71 $10.44 $21,710

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)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.31 0.52 $23.66 $49,220
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 40 0.39 0.66 $17.47 $36,340
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $17.36 $36,120
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 80 0.52 0.87 $16.61 $34,550
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 380 2.01 3.38 $16.29 $33,880


About May 2018 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 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019