Ever stand in line at your local post office and daydream about working behind the counter, weighing packages, selling stamps, and sorting mail? Often picture yourself walking your neighborhood as a mail carrier or delivering mail from one of those unique-shaped postal trucks?
If you do, odds are you’re not alone. The United States Postal Service employs over half a million people across the country in a variety of roles that pay above-average wages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay of a postal worker in 2023 was $56,510, or $27.17 per hour, which is 32% higher than the average national salary of $42,590, or $20 per hour, for those with a high school diploma.
There’s a sense of pride that comes with donning that familiar grey and blue uniform: As government (but not federal) workers, postal employees are responsible for serving millions of people. 665 million people visited the country’s 33,000 post offices in 2023, and the Postal Service delivered mail to 12.6 million businesses and 154 million residences — that’s 44% of the world’s mail.
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The U.S. Postal Service is considered to be the country’s most trusted government agency, one of only four agencies that received “excellent” ratings in a recent Gallup Poll (the Secret Service Agency, Department of Defense, and NASA were the others).
Post office workers enjoy a variety of benefits, including vacation time, sick leave, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement benefits, education assistance, advancement opportunities, and an entire career’s worth of job stability — just ask the country’s oldest letter career, Johnnie Bell, who’s been working his delivery route since 1955.
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What types of post office jobs are there? How much do they pay?
In a nutshell, post office workers are responsible for collecting, sorting, and delivering U.S. mail, specifically letters, packages, and parcels. Some work indoors while others work outside.
Here's a look at some of the most common jobs at USPS and what they pay based on analyses of job listings and self-reported employee salaries from Indeed:
Post office clerk: $37,076
These workers serve as the Postal Service’s front line to customers, selling stamps, money orders, and other products as well as obtaining customer signatures on registered, certified, and insured mail. Additional responsibilities include calculating postage, operating a cash register, maintaining records, and answering questions.
Post office clerks at USPS make an average of $37,076 annually, but some can earn over $50,000 depending on location and tenure, according to Indeed.
Mail processor: $42,928 per year
Working out of mail facilities, these postal employees are tasked with preparing mail for delivery. Their duties consist of loading and unloading postal vehicles, operating and maintaining automated mail sorting equipment, and keeping the facility tidy.
Mail processors at USPS earn an average of $42,928 annually, but some can make over $63,000 depending on location and tenure, according to Indeed.
Letter carrier: $53,000 per year
Letter carriers (or mail carriers) deliver mail along a pre-assigned route on foot or by vehicle, driving the box-shaped, Grumman LLV transport trucks the Postal Service has used since 1986. Custom-made for the Postal Service, these vehicles sport a right-hand drive position that enables a mail carrier to deliver mail without stepping out of their truck.
They’re equipped to handle a ton of wear and tear and have an incredibly long average lifespan (24 years), but unfortunately, they can also get very hot: Only 34% have air conditioning.
In urban areas, letter carriers are known as city carriers, while outside cities, they are called rural carriers. However, all of their days begin the same, at a sorting facility, where they collect the day’s mail. Next, they deliver it to mailboxes, businesses, residences, and other delivery locations, in all types of weather.
Mail carriers make an average of around $53,000 annually, but according to Indeed, experienced letter carriers in certain areas can make as much as $75,133 per year.
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Tractor-trailer driver: $81,000
Tractor-trailer drivers, who must have a valid CDL (commercial driver's license) pick up bulk quantities of mail at airports and railroad depots and transport them to postal warehouses. They are required to report any maintenance issues that arise.
According to Glassdoor, the median annual pay for these roles is around $81,000 but can rise as high as $105,000 depending on location and tenure.
Corporate roles: $81,971–$135,600
An agency like the U.S. Postal Service that employs 500,000 workers requires a range of support staff, including human resources specialists, supply managers, financial analysts, and I.T. specialists.
USPS even employs forensic analysts, who play a key role in identifying and apprehending perpetrators of crimes committed through the mail.
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How do you apply for a post office job?
Simply visit the USPS website, www.usps.com/careers, where you can search through available jobs, create a profile, and apply online. Note that the U.S. Postal Service never charges fees to submit an application.
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Applicants must be 18 years old at the time of employment (or 16 years with a high school diploma) and must pass a criminal background check and drug screening.
Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are authorized to work for the U.S. Postal Service. Felons who demonstrate successful rehabilitation are entitled to compete for jobs, although they cannot serve in the role of U.S. Postmaster.
Is there an exam to work for USPS?
The USPS requires certain positions, including Mail Carriers, Mail Handlers and Processors, and Customer Service Clerks, to successfully complete a Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA) exam. The exam presents candidates with real-life situations and asks how they would handle them. A score of 70% is considered passing.
The exam can be taken online on a computer, laptop, or even a smartphone and takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Instructions are emailed to candidates a few days before the test. The Postal Service has put together this guide to help candidates prepare for the exam.
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What’s the state of USPS workers in 2024?
Through changing digital times, the Postal Service has struggled: As email, social media, and online bill payment systems replaced the need to mail bills, first-class letters, and advertisements, it lost a staggering $69 billion between 2009 and 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, demand for package deliveries increased sharply (18.8%) as consumers were stuck under stay-at-home restrictions and did most of their shopping online.
As a cost-saving measure, the USPS began hiring temporary “non-career employees” who worked part-time schedules and were not eligible for benefits. By 2022, 18% of its total workforce was made up of these workers.
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But according to a report from the USPS Inspector General, turnover also skyrocketed during this period, from 38.5% in 2019 to nearly 59% in 2022. A competitive labor market made it easy for temporary workers to “job hop” to similar-paying jobs offering better hours and working conditions.
The report also revealed that many of the USPS’ job postings had vague descriptions, often failing to list the basics, such as whether mail carriers would be working on walking or driving routes, for instance.
At the end of 2023, USPS had 525,469 career employees and 115,000 non-career employees.
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