Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
43-5021 Couriers and Messengers
Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance. Excludes “Light Truck Drivers” (53-3033).
National estimates for Couriers and Messengers
Industry profile for Couriers and Messengers
Geographic profile for Couriers and Messengers
National estimates for Couriers and Messengers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Couriers and Messengers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 72,010 |
2.3 % |
$ 18.44 |
$ 38,350 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Couriers and Messengers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.48 |
$ 15.81 |
$ 17.65 |
$ 20.32 |
$ 23.71 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,040 |
$ 32,870 |
$ 36,710 |
$ 42,270 |
$ 49,310 |
Industry profile for Couriers and Messengers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Couriers and Messengers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Couriers and Messengers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Couriers and Messengers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
15,740 |
4.90 |
$ 18.91 |
$ 39,330 |
| Couriers and Express Delivery Services |
10,570 |
1.14 |
$ 18.73 |
$ 38,950 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
9,720 |
5.58 |
$ 18.42 |
$ 38,310 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
5,040 |
0.09 |
$ 18.16 |
$ 37,760 |
| Legal Services |
3,770 |
0.32 |
$ 15.66 |
$ 32,580 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Couriers and Messengers:
Top paying industries for Couriers and Messengers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Postal Service (Federal Government) |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 33.27 |
$ 69,210 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
2,170 |
0.04 |
$ 26.10 |
$ 54,290 |
| Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services |
70 |
0.04 |
$ 24.13 |
$ 50,190 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
70 |
0.01 |
$ 23.10 |
$ 48,040 |
| Office Administrative Services |
550 |
0.10 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,800 |
Geographic profile for Couriers and Messengers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Couriers and Messengers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Couriers and Messengers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Couriers and Messengers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
8,440 |
0.47 |
0.99 |
$ 20.70 |
$ 43,060 |
| New York |
7,400 |
0.79 |
1.66 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,800 |
| Florida |
5,980 |
0.63 |
1.32 |
$ 17.22 |
$ 35,820 |
| Texas |
4,920 |
0.36 |
0.77 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,530 |
| New Jersey |
3,720 |
0.89 |
1.87 |
$ 19.22 |
$ 39,970 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Couriers and Messengers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Jersey |
3,720 |
0.89 |
1.87 |
$ 19.22 |
$ 39,970 |
| Oklahoma |
1,420 |
0.85 |
1.79 |
$ 17.69 |
$ 36,780 |
| Wisconsin |
2,350 |
0.81 |
1.71 |
$ 15.97 |
$ 33,210 |
| New York |
7,400 |
0.79 |
1.66 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,800 |
| Alabama |
1,520 |
0.74 |
1.56 |
$ 15.08 |
$ 31,360 |
Top paying states for Couriers and Messengers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
7,400 |
0.79 |
1.66 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,800 |
| Washington |
1,110 |
0.32 |
0.67 |
$ 21.48 |
$ 44,670 |
| District of Columbia |
240 |
0.34 |
0.72 |
$ 21.18 |
$ 44,050 |
| California |
8,440 |
0.47 |
0.99 |
$ 20.70 |
$ 43,060 |
| Alaska |
130 |
0.42 |
0.89 |
$ 20.59 |
$ 42,820 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Couriers and Messengers:
| 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 |
8,480 |
0.89 |
1.88 |
$ 22.06 |
$ 45,890 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
3,240 |
0.52 |
1.10 |
$ 19.65 |
$ 40,870 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
2,120 |
0.78 |
1.65 |
$ 17.70 |
$ 36,820 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,660 |
0.54 |
1.13 |
$ 20.99 |
$ 43,670 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,490 |
0.37 |
0.79 |
$ 18.14 |
$ 37,740 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,320 |
0.29 |
0.62 |
$ 18.79 |
$ 39,070 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,280 |
0.45 |
0.95 |
$ 18.26 |
$ 37,970 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,180 |
0.49 |
1.03 |
$ 23.39 |
$ 48,660 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,160 |
0.36 |
0.77 |
$ 17.35 |
$ 36,090 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
1,090 |
1.34 |
2.83 |
$ 15.13 |
$ 31,470 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Couriers and Messengers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Burlington, NC |
190 |
2.85 |
6.02 |
$ 16.42 |
$ 34,150 |
| Kankakee, IL |
80 |
1.90 |
4.00 |
$ 18.83 |
$ 39,160 |
| Casper, WY |
70 |
1.74 |
3.66 |
$ 17.30 |
$ 35,990 |
| Tulsa, OK |
700 |
1.58 |
3.34 |
$ 17.54 |
$ 36,470 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV |
150 |
1.47 |
3.11 |
$ 15.70 |
$ 32,650 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
710 |
1.40 |
2.95 |
$ 15.78 |
$ 32,810 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
1,090 |
1.34 |
2.83 |
$ 15.13 |
$ 31,470 |
| Mobile, AL |
210 |
1.24 |
2.61 |
$ 14.83 |
$ 30,850 |
| Madison, WI |
480 |
1.22 |
2.56 |
$ 17.63 |
$ 36,680 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA |
80 |
1.16 |
2.45 |
$ 17.10 |
$ 35,560 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Couriers and Messengers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
120 |
0.30 |
0.62 |
$ 25.71 |
$ 53,480 |
| Modesto, CA |
80 |
0.42 |
0.88 |
$ 24.45 |
$ 50,860 |
| New Haven, CT |
180 |
0.63 |
1.33 |
$ 23.83 |
$ 49,560 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
630 |
0.55 |
1.17 |
$ 23.72 |
$ 49,340 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,180 |
0.49 |
1.03 |
$ 23.39 |
$ 48,660 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
40 |
0.21 |
0.45 |
$ 23.28 |
$ 48,420 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA |
110 |
0.38 |
0.81 |
$ 22.82 |
$ 47,470 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
670 |
0.32 |
0.68 |
$ 22.52 |
$ 46,830 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
8,480 |
0.89 |
1.88 |
$ 22.06 |
$ 45,890 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
30 |
0.34 |
0.71 |
$ 21.38 |
$ 44,470 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Couriers and Messengers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Couriers and Messengers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Couriers and Messengers:
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.
(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
