# Postal Service Mail Carriers

> Sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot. Includes postal service mail carriers employed by USPS contractors.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/postal-service-mail-carriers
- SOC code: 43-5052.00
- Career family: Office and administrative support
- Median annual pay: $60,550 (10th percentile $42,390, 90th percentile $81,040)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.3%
- Openings a year: 19,600
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CRE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 43 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 28 |
| Enterprising (E) | 32 |
| Conventional (C) | 88 |

## What you'd do

- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 80/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 77/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 74/100)
- Getting Information (importance 62/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 62/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 59/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 49/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 48/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 48/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 43/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Time Management, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Sales and Marketing, Transportation, Administration and Management, Production and Processing, Education and Training, Administrative, Mathematics

## Also called

Carrier, Carrier Associate, Carrier Driver, City Carrier, City Carrier Assistant (CCA), City Letter Carrier, City Mail Carrier, Clerk Carrier, Collector, Delivery and Mail Sorter

## Related careers

- [Postal Service Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/postal-service-clerks): $62,130 median pay
- [Couriers and Messengers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/couriers-and-messengers): $39,200 median pay
- [Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mail-clerks-and-mail-machine-operators-except-postal-service): $39,280 median pay
- [Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/shipping-receiving-and-inventory-clerks): $45,260 median pay
- [Cargo and Freight Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cargo-and-freight-agents): $52,260 median pay
- [Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/postal-service-mail-sorters-processors-and-processing-machine-operators): $58,470 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.