Postal Service Mail Carriers

Government and Public AdministrationO*NET 43-5052.00United States

Sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $60,336
Projected change: −1.1%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 318.33K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What postal service mail carriers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.
Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork.
Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence.
Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks.
Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail.
Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
Turn in money and receipts collected along mail routes.
Leave notices telling patrons where to collect mail that could not be delivered.
Maintain accurate records of deliveries.
Bundle mail in preparation for delivery or transportation to relay boxes.
Record address changes and redirect mail for those addresses.
Return incorrectly addressed mail to senders.
Answer customers' questions about postal services and regulations.
Provide customers with change of address cards and other forms.
Report any unusual circumstances concerning mail delivery, including the condition of street letter boxes.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $42,078
25th percentile: $48,669
50th percentile: $60,336
75th percentile: $80,856
90th percentile: $81,234

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,336 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−1.1%projected to decline

2025318,331 jobs

2035 projected314,685 jobs

3,646 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 92.8%
Some college: 7.2%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Lifting Ability
Mail Sorting
Good Driving Record
Loading And Unloading
Vehicle Maintenance
All Wheel Drive (AWD)
Vehicle Inspection
Podcasting
Warehousing
Warehouse Operations
Pallet Jacks
Package Delivery
Commercial Driving
Customer Inquiries
Equipment Maintenance
Selling Techniques
Route Management
Effective Communication
Physical Stamina
Mail Distribution

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Mail Carriers353 postings
02Rural Mail Carriers53 postings
03Rural Carrier Associates32 postings
04Postal Carriers25 postings
05Rural Carriers25 postings
06Contract Carriers9 postings
07Letter Carriers6 postings
08City Mail Carriers3 postings
09City Carrier Assistants2 postings
10City Letter Carriers2 postings
11Package Delivery Drivers2 postings
12Substitutes2 postings
13Housekeepers/House Managers1 postings
14Shipping and Receiving Managers1 postings

Top employers

01United States Postal Service92 postings
02Tnstumpff Enterprises72 postings
03Zetrick56 postings
04Screaming Eagle Delivery31 postings
05USA Labor Services20 postings
06Good Life Transportation7 postings
07L & E Transport Services7 postings
08T M Love5 postings
09Thunder Ridge Solutions Company5 postings
10Abc Contracting4 postings
11Cummings Contract Delivery Services Corp.4 postings
12J & J Nichols4 postings
13Love Logistics4 postings
14Noble Bay Equities4 postings
15Mountain Mail3 postings
16Parker And Jamison3 postings
17Tucker, Farentino Devante3 postings
18A Better Solution2 postings
19AppleOne2 postings
20Avila Contracting2 postings

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