SalariesWhat the occupation covers
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. Excludes “Postal Service Clerks” (43-5051) and “Postal Service Mail Carriers” (43-5052).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-5053.
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 | $45,530 | $3,794 | $876 | $21.89 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $48,880 | $4,073 | $940 | $23.50 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $58,470 | $4,872 | $1,124 | $28.11 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $75,030 | $6,252 | $1,443 | $36.07 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $75,280 | $6,273 | $1,448 | $36.19 |
* 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 Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is $58,470, which is 15% higher. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 7 by median pay. With 105,200 jobs, it makes up about 6.8 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($66,750), South Dakota ($61,570) and Iowa ($60,530). The lowest was in Indiana ($48,880), Georgia ($53,290) and Kansas ($54,540). The most jobs were in California (10,090), New York (8,290) and Texas (7,900). The occupation is most concentrated in Rhode Island, where its share of all jobs is 1.8 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 400 | $66,750 | $63,580 | $32.09 |
| South Dakota | 210 | $61,570 | $62,850 | $29.60 |
| Iowa | 1,040 | $60,530 | $60,640 | $29.10 |
| New Jersey | 3,660 | $60,530 | $62,250 | $29.10 |
| Wyoming | 120 | $60,530 | $61,790 | $29.10 |
| Guam | 30 | $60,530 | $60,900 | $29.10 |
| North Dakota | 240 | $59,840 | $60,290 | $28.77 |
| Minnesota | 1,840 | $59,740 | $61,360 | $28.72 |
| California | 10,090 | $59,490 | $61,530 | $28.60 |
| Hawaii | 370 | $59,490 | $60,290 | $28.60 |
| Maine | 440 | $59,490 | $61,420 | $28.60 |
| Michigan | 3,370 | $59,490 | $60,850 | $28.60 |
| Nebraska | 640 | $59,490 | $60,920 | $28.60 |
| Rhode Island | 600 | $59,490 | $60,360 | $28.60 |
| Vermont | 110 | $59,490 | $62,580 | $28.60 |
| Washington | 1,770 | $59,490 | $61,010 | $28.60 |
| Arkansas | 570 | $58,470 | $60,020 | $28.11 |
| Colorado | 1,910 | $58,470 | $60,490 | $28.11 |
| Connecticut | 1,020 | $58,470 | $61,320 | $28.11 |
| Delaware | 410 | $58,470 | $61,060 | $28.11 |
| Louisiana | 1,200 | $58,470 | $59,310 | $28.11 |
| Maryland | 2,430 | $58,470 | $60,450 | $28.11 |
| Massachusetts | 2,910 | $58,470 | $60,320 | $28.11 |
| Nevada | 920 | $58,470 | $58,680 | $28.11 |
| New Mexico | 350 | $58,470 | $59,420 | $28.11 |
| New York | 8,290 | $58,470 | $60,690 | $28.11 |
| Ohio | 3,700 | $58,470 | $59,390 | $28.11 |
| Oklahoma | 790 | $58,470 | $59,370 | $28.11 |
| West Virginia | 410 | $58,470 | $60,250 | $28.11 |
| Wisconsin | 1,420 | $58,470 | $60,740 | $28.11 |
| South Carolina | 1,280 | $58,390 | $59,230 | $28.07 |
| Illinois | 5,370 | $58,300 | $59,390 | $28.03 |
| New Hampshire | 690 | $58,300 | $59,890 | $28.03 |
| Virginia | 2,420 | $58,300 | $59,050 | $28.03 |
| Oregon | 1,090 | $57,890 | $60,450 | $27.83 |
| Mississippi | 350 | $57,800 | $58,480 | $27.79 |
| Alabama | 1,150 | $57,430 | $58,770 | $27.61 |
| Florida | 7,240 | $57,430 | $58,730 | $27.61 |
| Idaho | 250 | $57,430 | $58,760 | $27.61 |
| Kentucky | 950 | $57,430 | $57,960 | $27.61 |
| Missouri | 2,730 | $57,430 | $58,680 | $27.61 |
| Montana | 270 | $57,430 | $59,460 | $27.61 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,630 | $57,430 | $59,390 | $27.61 |
| Utah | 860 | $57,430 | $59,140 | $27.61 |
| Tennessee | 2,850 | $56,390 | $56,980 | $27.11 |
| Texas | 7,900 | $56,390 | $58,240 | $27.11 |
| Puerto Rico | 780 | $56,390 | $56,950 | $27.11 |
| Alaska | 230 | $55,350 | $56,360 | $26.61 |
| Arizona | 2,180 | $55,350 | $56,670 | $26.61 |
| North Carolina | 4,040 | $55,350 | $56,620 | $26.61 |
| Kansas | 870 | $54,540 | $55,710 | $26.22 |
| Georgia | 3,050 | $53,290 | $56,260 | $25.62 |
| Indiana | 2,600 | $48,880 | $53,940 | $23.50 |
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
- Postal Service Clerks$62,130 a year
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,550 a year
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$59,650 a year
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks$58,260 a year
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570 a year
- Desktop Publishers$55,290 a year
Common questions
How much do Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators earn in the United States?
The median pay was $58,470 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,530 and the highest-paid 10% more than $75,280.
How many people work as Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators?
About 105,200 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.