Postal Service Workers

Summary

Postal Service workers perform many tasks in a post office such as collecting and delivering mail.

Quick Facts: Postal Service Workers
2010 Median Pay	$53,090 per year $25.52 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	524,200
Job Outlook, 2010-20	-26% (Decline rapidly)
Employment Change, 2010-20	-138,600

What Postal Service Workers 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 a Postal Service Worker

Although there is no specific postsecondary education requirement to become a Postal Service worker, all applicants for these jobs must take an exam.

Pay

The median annual wage of Postal Service workers was $53,090 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of Postal Service workers is expected to decline 26 percent from 2010 to 2020. Automated sorting systems, cluster mailboxes, and tight budgets will adversely affect employment. Very strong competition is expected for all jobs, as the number of applicants typically is greater than the number of available positions.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of postal service workers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about postal service workers by contacting these additional resources.

What Postal Service Workers Do

Postal Service workers sort incoming letters and parcels, arranging them as needed.

Postal Service workers sell postal products and collect, sort, and deliver mail. 

Duties

Postal Service workers typically do the following:

• Collect letters and parcels
• Sort incoming letters and parcels
• Sell stamps and other postal products to customers
• 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.

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 on foot, by vehicle, or by a combination of both. Some mail carriers collect money for postage due and COD (cash-on-delivery). Others, particularly in rural areas, sell postal products such as stamps and money orders. All carriers, however, 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 clerks sell stamps, money orders, postal stationary, 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.

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 mail processing centers. They also operate, and occasionally adjust and repair, mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery.

Work Environment

Though many Postal Service workers spend their day indoors, mail carriers work outdoors.

Postal Service workers held about 524,200 jobs in 2010. Nearly all worked in the federal government. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up Postal Service workers was distributed as follows:

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 carriers face many natural hazards, such as extreme temperatures and wet and icy roads and sidewalks, the work is not especially dangerous. However, repetitive stress injuries from lifting and bending are common.

Work Schedules

Most career Postal Service workers work full time. However, overtime may be required for workers, particularly during the holiday season. Because mail is delivered 6 days a week, many Postal Service workers must work on Saturdays.

How to Become a Postal Service Worker

Workers generally have a high school diploma, and many jobs require a valid driver’s license.

Although there is no specific postsecondary education requirement to become a Postal Service worker, all applicants for these jobs must take an exam. 

Education and Training

Although there are no specific postsecondary education requirements to become a Postal Service worker, all applicants must have a good command of English. Workers typically receive additional training on the job.

Postal Service mail carriers must be at least 18 years old. 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.

All applicants must pass a written exam that measures speed and accuracy at checking names and numbers and the ability to memorize mail distribution procedures. Jobseekers should contact the post office or mail processing center where they want to work to find out when an exam will be given.

When accepted, applicants must undergo a criminal-history check and pass a physical exam and a drug test. Applicants also may be asked to show that they can lift and handle mail sacks weighing 50 pounds. Mail carriers who drive at work must have a safe driving record, and applicants must get a passing grade on a road test.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Postal Service workers, particularly clerks, interact with customers regularly. They must be courteous and tactful and provide service and help to customers.  

Stamina. Postal Service workers 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.

Pay

The median annual wage of Postal Service workers was $53,090 in May 2010. 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 $38,490, and the top 10 percent earned more than $54,620. 

Median annual wages for Postal Service occupations in May 2010 were the following:

• $53,100 for Postal Service clerks
• $53,860 for Postal Service mail carriers
• $53,080 for Postal Service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators 

Most career Postal Service workers work full time. However, overtime may be required for workers, particularly during the holiday season. Because mail is delivered 6 days a week, many Postal Service workers must work on Saturdays.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of Postal Service workers is expected to decline 26 percent from 2010 to 2020. Employment declines, however, will vary by specialty.  

Employment of Postal Service clerks is projected to decline by 48 percent from 2010 to 2020. Employment will be adversely affected by the decline in first-class mail volume because of the increasing use of automated bill pay and email.

Employment of Postal Service mail carriers is projected to decline by 12 percent from 2010 to 2020. Employment will be adversely affected by the use of automated “delivery point sequencing” systems that sort letter mail and flat mail directly. This reduces the amount of time that carriers spend sorting their mail, allowing them to spend more time on the streets delivering mail.

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 moving toward more centralized mail delivery, such as the use of cluster mailboxes, to cut down on the number of door-to-door deliveries.

Employment of Postal Service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators is projected to decline by 49 percent from 2010 to 2020. Employment will be adversely affected by new mail sorting technology that will read text and automatically sort, forward, and process mail, reducing the need for workers. The greater use of online services to pay bills and the increased use of email should further reduce the need for sorting and processing workers.

Job Prospects

Very strong competition is expected for all jobs, as the number of applicants typically is greater than the number of available positions.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about Postal Service workers, including job requirements, entrance examinations, and employment opportunities, visit

United States Postal Service

U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission

National Association of Letter Carriers

For information about national Postal Service unions, visit

American Postal Workers Union

National Postal Mail Handlers Union