Postal Service Clerks
Median $62,130
Occupation · SOC 43-5052
Postal Service Mail Carriers: pay and where the jobs are
What postal service mail carriers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,550 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $62,540
- Median hourly wage
- $29.11
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.07
- Employment
- 328,820
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5052.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among postal service mail carriers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do postal service mail carriers make?
The median annual wage for postal service mail carriers was $60,550 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,390 and the highest-paid 10% more than $81,040. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.11. About 328,820 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($64,250), Rhode Island ($63,610) and Arizona ($62,390). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for postal service mail carriers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,390 | $20.38 | $3,533 | $3,020 |
| 25th percentile | $48,940 | $23.53 | $4,078 | $3,459 |
| Median | $60,550 | $29.11 | $5,046 | $4,236 |
| 75th percentile | $81,000 | $38.94 | $6,750 | $5,484 |
| 90th percentile | $81,040 | $38.96 | $6,753 | $5,487 |
Postal Service Mail Carriers: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$57,572 take-home in national prices
2
$55,750 take-home in national prices
3
$55,704 take-home in national prices
Where a median postal service mail carrier paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 930 | $64,250 | $44,160 | $81,040 | $51,075 | $46,474 |
| Rhode Island | 1,220 | $63,610 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $50,822 | $49,690 |
| Arizona | 5,300 | $62,390 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $51,144 | $50,800 |
| California | 32,320 | $62,090 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $49,497 | $44,705 |
| Illinois | 14,730 | $62,070 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $49,126 | $49,146 |
| Maryland | 6,420 | $62,070 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $49,471 | $47,134 |
| Massachusetts | 7,630 | $62,070 | $44,160 | $81,040 | $48,884 | $46,223 |
| Nevada | 2,530 | $62,070 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $52,053 | $52,064 |
| New York | 20,580 | $62,070 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $48,999 | $45,403 |
| Virginia | 7,900 | $62,070 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $49,298 | $48,760 |
| Connecticut | 4,510 | $61,130 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,380 | $46,694 |
| Florida | 20,810 | $61,130 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $51,298 | $49,604 |
| New Jersey | 10,160 | $61,130 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $49,021 | $45,054 |
| Ohio | 12,680 | $61,130 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $50,060 | $53,959 |
| South Dakota | 850 | $60,760 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $51,001 | $57,572 |
| Texas | 26,700 | $60,550 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $50,832 | $52,373 |
| Minnesota | 5,890 | $59,990 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,562 | $48,227 |
| New Hampshire | 1,560 | $59,990 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $50,382 | $48,367 |
| North Carolina | 11,030 | $59,990 | $42,390 | $82,370 | $48,497 | $51,414 |
| Washington | 6,550 | $59,990 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $49,550 | $46,303 |
| Alaska | 450 | $59,880 | $46,030 | $81,040 | $50,023 | $48,870 |
| Colorado | 5,100 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,104 | $46,679 |
| Delaware | 1,130 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,408 | $47,499 |
| Hawaii | 1,200 | $59,880 | $48,940 | $81,040 | $47,247 | $42,971 |
| Indiana | 6,910 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,557 | $52,027 |
| Iowa | 3,730 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,670 | $55,457 |
| Michigan | 11,610 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,999 | $49,887 |
| Missouri | 7,260 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,417 | $53,312 |
| Nebraska | 2,150 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,449 | $53,770 |
| New Mexico | 1,570 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,645 | $52,753 |
| Oklahoma | 4,130 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,144 | $54,807 |
| Pennsylvania | 13,900 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,413 | $49,618 |
| Utah | 2,460 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,053 | $48,605 |
| Wisconsin | 6,470 | $59,880 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,230 | $51,257 |
| Wyoming | 430 | $59,880 | $43,120 | $81,040 | $50,294 | $54,259 |
| Arkansas | 3,030 | $59,700 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,428 | $55,704 |
| Oregon | 3,760 | $59,400 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $45,624 | $44,140 |
| Maine | 1,510 | $59,010 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,994 | $48,423 |
| Montana | 830 | $59,010 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,578 | $50,270 |
| North Dakota | 800 | $59,010 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $49,595 | $55,750 |
| Vermont | 690 | $59,010 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,052 | $49,053 |
| Kentucky | 4,640 | $58,910 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,570 | $52,762 |
| Louisiana | 5,090 | $58,910 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $48,133 | $54,568 |
| Tennessee | 7,310 | $58,570 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $49,241 | $53,599 |
| Kansas | 3,310 | $58,540 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,750 | $51,905 |
| Idaho | 1,660 | $57,820 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,682 | $48,885 |
| Alabama | 5,840 | $57,700 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,134 | $51,939 |
| Georgia | 10,790 | $57,700 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,411 | $48,198 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,240 | $57,700 | $44,160 | $81,040 | — | — |
| South Carolina | 5,650 | $57,700 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $47,032 | $50,168 |
| West Virginia | 1,850 | $57,700 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,773 | $52,262 |
| Mississippi | 3,290 | $57,470 | $42,390 | $81,040 | $46,790 | $53,811 |
| Guam | 40 | $56,080 | $44,160 | $81,040 | — | — |
| Virgin Islands | 40 | $55,490 | $43,120 | $81,040 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5052. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.