Career
Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
Sort and send an organization's mail.
$39,280
Median pay
-7.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
4,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.
- Verify that items are addressed correctly, marked with the proper postage, and in suitable condition for processing.
- Clear jams in sortation equipment.
- Place incoming or outgoing letters or packages into sacks or bins based on destination or type, and place identifying tags on sacks or bins.
- Release packages or letters to customers upon presentation of written notices or other identification.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Lift and unload containers of mail or parcels onto equipment for transportation to sortation stations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $39,280 a year and 4,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Postal Service Clerks$62,130 · -0.3%
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$58,470 · -5.3%
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260 · -7.6%
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,550 · -0.3%
- Couriers and Messengers$39,200 · +8.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.