Postal Service Clerks
Also called: Annuitant HCA (Annuitant Holiday Clerk Assistant), Bulk Clerk, Bulk Mail Clerk, Bulk Mail Technician, Business Mail Entry Clerk, City Carrier, City Carrier Assistant (CCA), Clerk
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.
What postal service clerks do
Typical tasks
- Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.
- Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
- Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.
- Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail.
- Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes.
- Transport mail from one work station to another.
- Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.
- Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.
- Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.
- Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.
- Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.
- Put undelivered parcels away, retrieve them when customers come to claim them, and complete any related documentation.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Postal Service Clerks salary
The median annual wage for postal service clerks is $62,130 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $42,600 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $75,030. The mean annual wage is $61,860.
The mean hourly wage of $29.00 is 4.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Postal Service Clerks (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $62,130 → in 3 years $67,300 → in 5 years $71,100 → in 10 years $81,300 (10-year range $69,900–$94,400). The model assumes pay growth of +2.7% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Postal Service Clerks
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Postal Service Clerks? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Postal Service Clerks
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Postal Service Clerks United States | 郵便局郵便窓口業務 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $62,130 | ¥5.80M ≈ $36,865 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $81,300 | ¥8.17M |
| Outlook score | 36 | 64 |
| AI replacement risk | 52% Moderate | 70% High |
| Workers | 74K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Postal Service Clerks
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become postal service clerks
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as postal service clerks
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.