Postal Service Clerks
Median $62,130
Occupation · SOC 43-5053
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,470 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $59,430
- Median hourly wage
- $28.11
- Mean hourly wage
- $28.57
- Employment
- 105,200
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5053.
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How much do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators make?
The median annual wage for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators was $58,470 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,530 and the highest-paid 10% more than $75,280. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.11. About 105,200 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($66,750), South Dakota ($61,570) and Iowa ($60,530). 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 sorters, processors, and processing machine operators 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 | $45,530 | $21.89 | $3,794 | $3,230 |
| 25th percentile | $48,880 | $23.50 | $4,073 | $3,455 |
| Median | $58,470 | $28.11 | $4,873 | $4,097 |
| 75th percentile | $75,030 | $36.07 | $6,253 | $5,134 |
| 90th percentile | $75,280 | $36.19 | $6,273 | $5,149 |
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators: pay by state
53 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
$58,307 take-home in national prices
2
$56,500 take-home in national prices
3
$56,024 take-home in national prices
Where a median postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operator 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 | 400 | $66,750 | $43,660 | $76,460 | $52,896 | $48,131 |
| South Dakota | 210 | $61,570 | $48,880 | $75,280 | $51,651 | $58,307 |
| Guam | 30 | $60,530 | $54,330 | $75,030 | — | — |
| Iowa | 1,040 | $60,530 | $42,600 | $76,360 | $49,168 | $56,024 |
| New Jersey | 3,660 | $60,530 | $47,440 | $76,360 | $48,575 | $44,644 |
| Wyoming | 120 | $60,530 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $50,816 | $54,823 |
| North Dakota | 240 | $59,840 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $50,261 | $56,500 |
| Minnesota | 1,840 | $59,740 | $48,880 | $75,280 | $47,379 | $48,042 |
| California | 10,090 | $59,490 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $47,598 | $42,989 |
| Hawaii | 370 | $59,490 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $46,965 | $42,715 |
| Maine | 440 | $59,490 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $47,345 | $48,784 |
| Michigan | 3,370 | $59,490 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $47,703 | $49,578 |
| Nebraska | 640 | $59,490 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $48,153 | $53,442 |
| Rhode Island | 600 | $59,490 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $47,712 | $46,648 |
| Vermont | 110 | $59,490 | $48,880 | $75,280 | $48,421 | $49,430 |
| Washington | 1,770 | $59,490 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $49,155 | $45,934 |
| Arkansas | 570 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $47,485 | $54,620 |
| Colorado | 1,910 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $76,360 | $47,039 | $45,646 |
| Connecticut | 1,020 | $58,470 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $46,402 | $44,786 |
| Delaware | 410 | $58,470 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $46,359 | $46,448 |
| Louisiana | 1,200 | $58,470 | $42,600 | $75,250 | $47,793 | $54,183 |
| Maryland | 2,430 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $46,749 | $44,541 |
| Massachusetts | 2,910 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $46,188 | $43,674 |
| Nevada | 920 | $58,470 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $49,161 | $49,171 |
| New Mexico | 350 | $58,470 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $47,578 | $51,597 |
| New York | 8,290 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $46,316 | $42,917 |
| Ohio | 3,700 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $47,996 | $51,735 |
| Oklahoma | 790 | $58,470 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $47,075 | $53,590 |
| West Virginia | 410 | $58,470 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $47,359 | $52,917 |
| Wisconsin | 1,420 | $58,470 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $47,167 | $50,126 |
| South Carolina | 1,280 | $58,390 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $47,540 | $50,710 |
| Illinois | 5,370 | $58,300 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $46,283 | $46,302 |
| New Hampshire | 690 | $58,300 | $47,440 | $76,360 | $49,024 | $47,064 |
| Virginia | 2,420 | $58,300 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $46,486 | $45,978 |
| Oregon | 1,090 | $57,890 | $47,440 | $75,280 | $44,536 | $43,087 |
| Mississippi | 350 | $57,800 | $45,530 | $75,030 | $47,042 | $54,101 |
| Alabama | 1,150 | $57,430 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $45,929 | $51,709 |
| Florida | 7,240 | $57,430 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $48,325 | $46,730 |
| Idaho | 250 | $57,430 | $42,600 | $75,030 | $46,389 | $48,578 |
| Kentucky | 950 | $57,430 | $42,600 | $75,030 | $46,433 | $51,501 |
| Missouri | 2,730 | $57,430 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $46,563 | $51,271 |
| Montana | 270 | $57,430 | $45,530 | $75,030 | $46,382 | $49,007 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,630 | $57,430 | $45,530 | $75,280 | $46,522 | $47,679 |
| Utah | 860 | $57,430 | $45,530 | $75,030 | $46,226 | $46,757 |
| Puerto Rico | 780 | $56,390 | $45,530 | $75,030 | — | — |
| Tennessee | 2,850 | $56,390 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $47,489 | $51,692 |
| Texas | 7,900 | $56,390 | $40,600 | $75,280 | $47,489 | $48,929 |
| Alaska | 230 | $55,350 | $42,600 | $75,030 | $46,383 | $45,314 |
| Arizona | 2,180 | $55,350 | $42,600 | $75,280 | $45,664 | $45,357 |
| North Carolina | 4,040 | $55,350 | $40,600 | $75,280 | $44,954 | $47,658 |
| Kansas | 870 | $54,540 | $39,560 | $75,280 | $43,759 | $48,585 |
| Georgia | 3,050 | $53,290 | $40,600 | $75,280 | $43,088 | $44,747 |
| Indiana | 2,600 | $48,880 | $39,560 | $75,030 | $40,043 | $42,905 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5053. *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.