Occupation overview

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators is $58,470, or $28.11 per hour. About 105,200 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $66,750 in District of Columbia to $48,880 in Indiana.

Median annual
$58,470
Median hourly
$28.11
Entry level (P10)
$45,530
Top 10% (P90)
$75,280
Employment
105,200
States covered
51

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$45,530
$48,880
$58,470
$75,030
$45,530$58,470$75,280
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $58,470.

Salary by state

All 51 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1District of Columbia$66,750$32.094000.83
2South Dakota$61,570$29.602100.67
3Wyoming$60,530$29.101200.61
4New Jersey$60,530$29.103,6601.26
5Iowa$60,530$29.101,0400.99
6North Dakota$59,840$28.772400.82
7Minnesota$59,740$28.721,8400.92
8Washington$59,490$28.601,7700.74
9Vermont$59,490$28.601100.55
10Rhode Island$59,490$28.606001.77
11Nebraska$59,490$28.606400.92
12Michigan$59,490$28.603,3701.13
13Maine$59,490$28.604401.02
14Hawaii$59,490$28.603700.87
15California$59,490$28.6010,0900.82
16Wisconsin$58,470$28.111,4200.72
17West Virginia$58,470$28.114100.86
18Oklahoma$58,470$28.117900.68
19Ohio$58,470$28.113,7000.99
20New York$58,470$28.118,2901.27
21New Mexico$58,470$28.113500.60
22Nevada$58,470$28.119200.88
23Massachusetts$58,470$28.112,9101.18
24Maryland$58,470$28.112,4301.30
25Louisiana$58,470$28.111,2000.91
26Delaware$58,470$28.114101.24
27Connecticut$58,470$28.111,0200.89
28Colorado$58,470$28.111,9100.98
29Arkansas$58,470$28.115700.65
30South Carolina$58,390$28.071,2800.82
31Virginia$58,300$28.032,4200.87
32New Hampshire$58,300$28.036901.48
33Illinois$58,300$28.035,3701.30
34Oregon$57,890$27.831,0900.82
35Mississippi$57,800$27.793500.44
36Utah$57,430$27.618600.73
37Pennsylvania$57,430$27.615,6301.37
38Montana$57,430$27.612700.78
39Missouri$57,430$27.612,7301.38
40Kentucky$57,430$27.619500.70
41Idaho$57,430$27.612500.43
42Florida$57,430$27.617,2401.08
43Alabama$57,430$27.611,1500.80
44Texas$56,390$27.117,9000.83
45Tennessee$56,390$27.112,8501.28
46North Carolina$55,350$26.614,0401.21
47Arizona$55,350$26.612,1800.99
48Alaska$55,350$26.612301.04
49Kansas$54,540$26.228700.89
50Georgia$53,290$25.623,0500.92
51Indiana$48,880$23.502,6001.20

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators make?

The median annual wage for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators in the United States is $58,470, or $28.11 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $45,530, and the top 10% earn $75,280.

How many postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators are employed in the U.S.?

About 105,200 people work as postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators nationwide.

Which state pays postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators the most?

District of Columbia pays the most at a median of $66,750, followed by South Dakota ($61,570) and Wyoming ($60,530).

Which state pays postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators the least?

Indiana has the lowest median at $48,880.

Where are postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Rhode Island at 1.77×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes