Postal Service Workers
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Postal service workers sell postal products and collect, sort, and deliver mail.
Work Environment: 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.
How to Become One: Most postal service workers have a high school diploma. All applicants for these jobs must pass a written exam.
Salary: The median annual wage for postal service workers is $51,730.
Job Outlook: Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to decline 6 percent over the next ten years.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of postal service workers with similar occupations.
Following is everything you need to know about a career as a postal service worker with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:
Top 3 Postal Service Jobs
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Licensed Customer Service Representative (CSR)
- COUNTRY Financial - Connor Agency
- Salem, OR
This is an opportunity to join our team as a Full Time Licensed Insurance Customer Service Representative and in this role, you will provide exceptional customer service to our clients and support ...
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Customer Service - Learning & Development
- Apex Premier Management
- Madera, CA
Our firm leverages our talented Customer Service Representative to prepare, launch, and optimize every product and direct service for our clients. We're a trusted customer acquisition partner for top ...
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Customer Service Representative
- Ventura Business Consultants
- Ventura, CA
As a Customer Service Representative, you will be a vital link between our clients and their prospective customers in the Oxnard / Ventura region. In this role, you'll thrive in face-to-face ...
What Postal Service Workers Do[About this section] [To Top]
Postal service workers sell postal products and collect, sort, and deliver mail.
Duties of Postal Service Workers
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 incoming mail from postal trucks
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 perform.
The following are examples of types of postal service workers:
Postal service clerks sell stamps, money orders, postal stationery, mailing envelopes, and boxes in post offices throughout the country. These workers register, certify, and insure mail, calculate and collect postage, and answer questions about other 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, 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. All mail carriers must be able to 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 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 for Postal Service Workers[About this section] [To Top]
Postal service workers hold about 507,100 jobs. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up postal service workers is distributed as follows:
| Postal service mail carriers | 322,900 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | 107,900 |
| Postal service clerks | 76,300 |
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, repetitive stress injuries from lifting and bending may occur.
Postal Service Work Schedules
Most postal service workers are employed full time. However, overtime is sometimes required, particularly during the holiday season. Because mail 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] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Postal Service Workers near you!
All postal service worker applicants must pass a written exam. The exam covers four areas: address cross comparison, forms completion, memory and coding, and personal characteristics and experience. Jobseekers should contact the post office or mail processing center where they want to work to find out when exams are given.
Postal service mail carriers must be at least 18 years old, or 16 years old with a high school diploma. They must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident-alien status. Males must have registered with the Selective Service when they reached age 18.
When accepted, applicants must undergo a criminal background check and pass a physical exam and a drug test. Applicants also may be asked to show that they can lift and handle heavy mail sacks. Mail carriers who drive at work must have a safe driving record, and applicants must receive a passing grade on a road test.
Education for Postal Service Workers
Most postal service workers have a high school diploma. All applicants must have a good command of English.
Postal Service Worker Training
Newly hired postal service workers receive short-term on-the-job training, usually lasting less than 1 month. Those who have a mail route may initially work alongside an experienced carrier.
Important Qualities for Postal Service Workers
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.
Physical stamina. Postal service workers, particularly mail carriers, must be able to stand or walk for long periods.
Physical strength. Postal service workers must be able to lift heavy mail bags and parcels without injuring themselves.
Postal Service Worker Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median annual wage for postal service workers is $51,730. 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 $38,880, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $67,230.
Median annual wages for postal service workers are as follows:
| Postal service mail carriers | $52,440 |
| Postal service clerks | $52,290 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | $48,550 |
The median annual wages for postal service workers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Postal service | $51,730 |
Most postal service workers are employed full time. However, overtime is sometimes required, particularly during the holiday season. Because mail is delivered 6 days a week, many postal service workers must work on Saturdays. Some also work on Sundays.
Job Outlook for Postal Service Workers[About this section] [To Top]
Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to decline 6 percent over the next ten years.
Despite declining employment, about 38,100 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 of Postal Service Workers
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.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Postal service workers | 507,100 | 477,800 | -6 | -29,300 |
| Postal service clerks | 76,300 | 72,700 | -5 | -3,600 |
| Postal service mail carriers | 322,900 | 307,400 | -5 | -15,400 |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | 107,900 | 97,700 | -9 | -10,200 |
More Postal Service Worker Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about postal service workers, including job requirements, entrance examinations, and employment opportunities, visit
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.