Occupations · Office and Administrative Support
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-5053.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 45% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $57,490 | 10,120 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $56,450 | 5,450 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $57,490 | 5,290 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $59,550 | 3,180 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $55,410 | 3,050 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $52,870 | 2,880 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $57,490 | 2,680 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $54,370 | 2,610 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $57,490 | 2,590 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $53,350 | 1,990 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $57,490 | 1,820 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $57,490 | 1,770 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing.
- Clear jams in sorting equipment.
- Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
- Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
- Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains".
- Open and label mail containers.
- Load and unload mail trucks, sometimes lifting containers of mail onto equipment that transports items to sorting stations.
- Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.
- Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes.
- Rewrap soiled or broken parcels.
- Train new workers.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2016-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2016-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 7
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| mail clerk | 4412.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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