SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-5051.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $42,600 | $3,550 | $819 | $20.48 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $56,740 | $4,728 | $1,091 | $27.28 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $62,130 | $5,178 | $1,195 | $29.87 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $70,890 | $5,908 | $1,363 | $34.08 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $75,030 | $6,252 | $1,443 | $36.07 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Postal Service Clerks is $62,130, which is 22% higher. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 4 by median pay. With 73,720 jobs, it makes up about 4.7 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Postal Service Clerks pay by state
The highest median pay was in Guam ($68,810), District of Columbia ($67,790) and New Jersey ($64,290). The lowest was in North Dakota ($57,820), Alaska ($57,820) and South Dakota ($58,470). The most jobs were in California (6,410), New York (5,030) and Texas (4,900). The occupation is most concentrated in Virgin Islands, where its share of all jobs is 4.2 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guam | 30 | $68,810 | $64,160 | $33.08 |
| District of Columbia | 110 | $67,790 | $66,740 | $32.59 |
| New Jersey | 2,230 | $64,290 | $64,410 | $30.91 |
| North Carolina | 2,070 | $64,290 | $64,280 | $30.91 |
| Virgin Islands | 60 | $63,660 | $63,980 | $30.61 |
| California | 6,410 | $63,650 | $64,270 | $30.60 |
| Hawaii | 430 | $63,650 | $64,540 | $30.60 |
| Michigan | 2,340 | $63,650 | $63,480 | $30.60 |
| Louisiana | 1,100 | $63,210 | $62,410 | $30.39 |
| Maryland | 1,240 | $63,210 | $63,740 | $30.39 |
| Tennessee | 1,330 | $63,210 | $62,750 | $30.39 |
| New York | 5,030 | $62,690 | $63,160 | $30.14 |
| Ohio | 2,430 | $62,690 | $61,820 | $30.14 |
| Florida | 3,540 | $62,610 | $62,620 | $30.10 |
| Georgia | 2,070 | $62,610 | $62,290 | $30.10 |
| Kentucky | 1,220 | $62,610 | $61,250 | $30.10 |
| Massachusetts | 1,950 | $62,610 | $63,550 | $30.10 |
| Nevada | 460 | $62,610 | $62,280 | $30.10 |
| New Hampshire | 500 | $62,610 | $62,990 | $30.10 |
| South Carolina | 960 | $62,610 | $62,740 | $30.10 |
| Texas | 4,900 | $62,610 | $62,180 | $30.10 |
| Virginia | 1,980 | $62,610 | $62,070 | $30.10 |
| Puerto Rico | 670 | $62,610 | $63,920 | $30.10 |
| Connecticut | 860 | $62,130 | $63,000 | $29.87 |
| Maine | 670 | $62,130 | $60,360 | $29.87 |
| Arizona | 1,190 | $61,710 | $62,140 | $29.67 |
| Delaware | 230 | $61,710 | $62,680 | $29.67 |
| Illinois | 2,720 | $61,710 | $61,530 | $29.67 |
| Indiana | 1,520 | $61,710 | $61,080 | $29.67 |
| Alabama | 1,240 | $61,640 | $60,900 | $29.64 |
| Rhode Island | 250 | $61,570 | $61,650 | $29.60 |
| Washington | 1,460 | $61,570 | $62,130 | $29.60 |
| Minnesota | 1,380 | $61,050 | $60,940 | $29.35 |
| Mississippi | 790 | $61,050 | $60,160 | $29.35 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,650 | $61,050 | $60,890 | $29.35 |
| Vermont | 400 | $61,050 | $61,040 | $29.35 |
| West Virginia | 890 | $61,050 | $58,850 | $29.35 |
| Wisconsin | 1,400 | $61,050 | $60,830 | $29.35 |
| Colorado | 1,230 | $60,530 | $60,930 | $29.10 |
| Idaho | 480 | $60,530 | $60,020 | $29.10 |
| Kansas | 1,290 | $60,530 | $59,230 | $29.10 |
| Oregon | 960 | $60,530 | $60,840 | $29.10 |
| Utah | 620 | $60,530 | $60,930 | $29.10 |
| Iowa | 1,190 | $59,970 | $58,180 | $28.83 |
| Missouri | 1,780 | $59,970 | $58,840 | $28.83 |
| New Mexico | 660 | $59,970 | $59,580 | $28.83 |
| Wyoming | 250 | $59,970 | $59,150 | $28.83 |
| Arkansas | 970 | $59,490 | $58,070 | $28.60 |
| Nebraska | 690 | $59,490 | $58,000 | $28.60 |
| Oklahoma | 1,040 | $59,490 | $58,870 | $28.60 |
| Montana | 510 | $58,470 | $56,110 | $28.11 |
| South Dakota | 390 | $58,470 | $56,450 | $28.11 |
| Alaska | 410 | $57,820 | $53,970 | $27.80 |
| North Dakota | 330 | $57,820 | $55,880 | $27.80 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$76,590 a year
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500 a year
- Brokerage Clerks$65,750 a year
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,550 a year
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$59,650 a year
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$58,470 a year
Common questions
How much do Postal Service Clerks earn in the United States?
The median pay was $62,130 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,600 and the highest-paid 10% more than $75,030.
How many people work as Postal Service Clerks?
About 73,720 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.