Postal Service Workers

Summary

What Postal Service Workers Do About this section

Carriers deliver mail to homes and businesses.

Postal service workers sell postage and related products and collect, sort, and deliver mail.

Duties

Postal service workers typically do the following:

• Collect letters and parcels
• Sort incoming letters and parcels
• Sell stamps and other postal products
• Get customer signatures for registered, certified, and insured mail
• Operate various types of postal equipment
• Distribute letters and parcels

Postal service workers receive and process mail for delivery to homes, businesses, and post office boxes. Workers are classified based on the type of work they do.

The following are examples of types of postal service workers:

Postal service clerks, also called sales and services distribution associates, sell stamps, money orders, mailing envelopes and boxes, and other postal products in post offices. These workers register, certify, and insure mail, calculate and collect postage, and answer questions about postal matters. They also may help sort mail.

Postal service mail carriers deliver mail to homes and businesses in cities, towns, and rural areas. Most travel established routes, delivering and collecting mail. Mail carriers cover their routes by foot or vehicle or a combination of both. Some mail carriers collect money for postage due. Others, particularly in rural areas, sell postal products, such as stamps and money orders. Mail carriers also answer customers’ questions about postal regulations and services and, upon request, provide change-of-address cards and other postal forms.

Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators, also called mail handlers and processing clerks, prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution at post offices and mail processing centers. They load and unload postal trucks and move mail around processing centers. They also operate and adjust mail processing and sorting machinery.

Work Environment About this section

Although mail carriers work outdoors, sorters and processors typically work indoors.

Postal service workers held about 502,600 jobs in 2023. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up postal service workers was distributed as follows:

The largest employers of postal service workers were as follows:

Postal service clerks and mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators work indoors, typically in a post office. Mail carriers mostly work outdoors, delivering mail in all kinds of weather. Although mail carriers face many natural hazards, such as extreme temperatures and wet or icy roads and sidewalks, the work is not especially dangerous. However, they may experience repetitive stress injuries from lifting and bending.

Work Schedules

Most postal service workers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Because mail usually is delivered 6 days a week, many postal service workers must work on Saturdays. Some also work on Sundays.

How to Become a Postal Service Worker About this section

Mail carriers must receive a passing grade on a road test.

To enter these occupations, postal service workers typically need no formal educational credential. However, job candidates must pass a written exam as part of the application process. The exam covers four areas: address cross comparison, forms completion, memory and coding, and personal characteristics and experience. For more information, contact the post office or mail processing center where you want to work.

Postal service workers must meet certain employment qualifications. For example, they must be at least 18 years old, or 16 years old with a high school diploma; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; and pass a criminal background check, a medical assessment, and a drug screening. They also may be asked to show that they can lift and handle heavy mail sacks.

Education

Although no formal educational credential is typically required to enter these occupations, most postal service workers have at least a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Training

Newly hired postal service workers receive on-the-job training that usually lasts a few weeks. Beginning carriers may work alongside an experienced carrier.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Postal service workers who operate a motor vehicle need a driver's license. In addition, mail carriers must have a safe driving record and pass a road test before driving on the job.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Postal service workers, particularly clerks, regularly interact with customers. As a result, they must be courteous and tactful and provide good client service.

Detail oriented. Postal service workers must pay attention to detail to ensure accuracy in sorting and delivering mail.

Physical stamina. Postal service workers may need to stand or walk for long periods.

Physical strength. Postal service workers must be able to lift and carry heavy mail bags and parcels.

Time-management skills. Postal service workers often need to prioritize and handle several tasks at once.

Visual ability. To have a driver’s license, postal service workers must be able to pass a state vision test.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for postal service workers was $56,510 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,480, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $75,300.

Median annual wages for postal service workers in May 2023 were as follows:

In May 2023, the median annual wages for postal service workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Most postal service workers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Because mail usually is delivered 6 days a week, many postal service workers must work on Saturdays. Some also work on Sundays.

Job Outlook About this section

Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to decline 4 percent from 2023 to 2033.

Despite declining employment, about 35,800 openings for postal service workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

The postal service likely will need fewer workers because new mail sorting technology can read text and automatically sort, forward, and process mail. The greater use of online services to pay bills and the increased use of online communications should also reduce the need for sorting and processing workers.

Meanwhile, the amount of time carriers save on sorting letter mail and flat mail will allow them to increase the size of their routes, which should reduce the need to hire more carriers. In addition, the postal service is adopting more centralized mail delivery, such as the use of cluster mailboxes, to cut down on the number of door-to-door deliveries.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Postal service clerks
• Postal service mail carriers
• Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about postal service workers, including job requirements, entrance examinations, and employment opportunities, visit

United States Postal Service

O*NET

Postal Service Clerks

Postal Service Mail Carriers

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators