Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators in the U.S. is $58,470 ($28.11 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $58,470
- Mean annual wage
- $59,430
- Median hourly wage
- $28.11
- Employment
- 105,200
105,200 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,530 | $21.89 |
| 25th percentile | $48,880 | $23.50 |
| Median (50th) | $58,470 | $28.11 |
| 75th percentile | $75,030 | $36.07 |
| 90th percentile | $75,280 | $36.19 |
Highest-paying states for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $66,750 | 400 |
| South Dakota | $61,570 | 210 |
| Iowa | $60,530 | 1,040 |
| New Jersey | $60,530 | 3,660 |
| Wyoming | $60,530 | 120 |
| North Dakota | $59,840 | 240 |
| Minnesota | $59,740 | 1,840 |
| California | $59,490 | 10,090 |
| Hawaii | $59,490 | 370 |
| Maine | $59,490 | 440 |
Lowest-paying states
- Indiana: $48,880 median annual wage
- Georgia: $53,290 median annual wage
- Kansas: $54,540 median annual wage
- North Carolina: $55,350 median annual wage
- Arizona: $55,350 median annual wage
About this occupation
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.
Typical tasks
- Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
- 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.
- Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- Clear jams in sorting equipment.
- Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar-code sorters.
- Train new workers.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 3.4% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 33.4% |
| Some college, no degree | 29.7% |
| Associate's degree | 13.5% |
| Bachelor's degree | 17.0% |
| Master's degree | 2.8% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.2% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$50,670
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$45,930
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.