Careers / Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$58,470
United States, 2025
Employment
105,200
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors.
- O*NET code
- 43-5053.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Clear jams in sorting equipment.
- Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
- Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling.
- Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is attached, and that items are in a suitable condition for processing.
- Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
- Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains".
- Open and label mail containers.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$45,530
25th percentile
$48,880
75th percentile
$75,030
90th percentile
$75,280
Most important skills
- Monitoring3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Operations Monitoring2.9
- Active Listening2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Operation and Control2.8
- Social Perceptiveness2.8
- Complex Problem Solving2.5
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 5 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
5
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth, MN | $70,990 | 40 | 2025 |
| Erie, PA | $69,680 | 30 | 2025 |
| DC | $66,750 | 400 | 2025 |
| Wichita, KS | $66,750 | 210 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $63,650 | 1,510 | 2025 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | $62,610 | 80 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $61,710 | 170 | 2025 |
| McAllen, TX | $61,570 | 100 | 2025 |
| SD | $61,570 | 210 | 2025 |
| Waterloo, IA | $61,570 | 60 | 2025 |
| Lansing, MI | $60,740 | 110 | 2025 |
| Fresno, CA | $60,530 | 170 | 2025 |
| Madison, WI | $60,530 | 190 | 2025 |
| Mankato, MN | $60,530 | 40 | 2025 |
| IA | $60,530 | 1,040 | 2025 |
| NJ | $60,530 | 3,660 | 2025 |
| Peoria, IL | $60,530 | 80 | 2025 |
| WY | $60,530 | 120 | 2025 |
| GU | $60,530 | 30 | 2025 |
| Sioux Falls, SD | $60,530 | 140 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.