Office and administrative support
Postal service mail carrier
Sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot. Includes postal service mail carriers employed by USPS contractors.
Median pay
$60,550
Growth to 2035
0%
little or no change
Openings a year
19,600
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Postal service mail carrier
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Postal service mail carrier: 43% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.
- Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork.
- Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
- Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence.
- Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks.
- Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail.
- Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
- Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
Also called: City Carrier · City Carrier Assistant (CCA) · City Letter Carrier · City Mail Carrier · Letter Carrier · Mail Carrier · Rural Carrier · Rural Carrier Associate (RCA)
Outlook and AI
Postal service mail carriers held 316,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 315,500 by 2035 (0%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Postal service clerk
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Couriers and messengers
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Cargo and freight agents
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Light truck driver
- Postal service mail carrier vs. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance