Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 43-5053

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

O*NET task statements lead this Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, Financial Clerks, All Other, Postal Service Clerks.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($77K) , Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ($51K) , Financial Clerks, All Other ($54K) , Postal Service Clerks ($62K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-5053 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment
  2. 2. Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is a…
  3. 3. Clear jams in sorting equipment
  4. 4. Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines
  5. 5. Operate various types of equipment, such as computer scanning equipment, addressographs, mimeographs, optical character readers, and bar…
  6. 6. Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated "trains"
  7. 7. Open and label mail containers
  8. 8. Load and unload mail trucks, sometimes lifting containers of mail onto equipment that transports items to sorting stations
  9. 9. Sort odd-sized mail by hand, sort mail that other workers have been unable to sort, and segregate items requiring special handling
  10. 10. Distribute incoming mail into the correct boxes or pigeonholes
  11. 11. Rewrap soiled or broken parcels
  12. 12. Train new workers

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators: O*NET ranks Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-5053 - lead skill Monitoring at 3.1 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Monitoring 3.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  3. 3. Speaking 3.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.0
  5. 5. Coordination 3.0
  6. 6. Active Listening 2.9
  7. 7. Operations Monitoring 2.9
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 3.0
  2. 2. Production and Processing 2.5
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 2.4
  4. 4. Administrative 2.3
  5. 5. Administration and Management 2.2
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.1
National median after O*NET task lead
$58,470
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment
$58K
National median
↓ -8%
Growth 2024-2034
7,800
Annual openings
105,200
Estimated US jobs
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
Highest-pay peer · $77K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

1. Hawaii $59,490
2. Wyoming $60,530
3. Minnesota $59,740
4. South Dakota $61,570
5. Guam $60,530
6. North Dakota $59,840
7. Iowa $60,530
8. California $59,490
9. District of Columbia $66,750
10. New Jersey $60,530

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Financial Clerks, All Other $53,830
  2. 2. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $50,670
  3. 3. Postal Service Clerks $62,130
  4. 4. Cargo and Freight Agents $52,260
  5. 5. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  6. 6. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $76,590

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators (SOC 43-5053). The national OEWS median is $58,470 inside Office and Administrative Support Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, Financial Clerks, All Other, Postal Service Clerks. Lead published task: Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.

Employment Projections expect -8% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 7,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Hawaii at $59,490. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants at $76,590. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators pay-rank #7 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Among 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations with a published OEWS median, Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is pay-rank #7, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 43-5053 · national median $58,470 · upper third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#7/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-5053

Hawaii · top state for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

$59K published median

Wyoming · #2 state pay

$61K · behind Hawaii

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Highest-pay peer vs Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators · $77K

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

Lower-pay peer beside Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators · $51K

Compare Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles sit near Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is pay-rank #7 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks ($58K), Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks ($60K), Postal Service Mail Carriers ($61K), Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants ($56K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators. Leading ones include: Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment; Check items to ensure that addresses are legible and correct, that sufficient postage has been paid or the appropriate documentation is a…; Clear jams in sorting equipment; Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators? ▼
For SOC 43-5053, O*NET importance scores lead with Monitoring (3.1), Reading Comprehension (3.0), Speaking (3.0), Critical Thinking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $58,470 as the national median for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators. The published 10th-90th range is $45,530 to $75,280. Beside Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($76,590), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is -8%. Projected annual openings: about 7,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators? ▼
Hawaii ($59,490), Wyoming ($60,530), Minnesota ($59,740) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-5053. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics