Postal Service Mail Carriers

High Risk
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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
3.1/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

72% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 249 votes

53% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. However, the automation risk level we have generated suggests a much higher chance of automation: 72% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Postal Service Mail Carriers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Postal Service Mail Carriers was $57,490 ($28 per hour).

The median annual wage for Postal Service Mail Carriers was 16.1% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Postal Service Mail Carriers' job openings is expected to decline 3.5% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 336,040 people employed as 'Postal Service Mail Carriers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.22% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 458 people are employed as 'Postal Service Mail Carriers'.

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What people are saying (22)

Leave a comment
Nick Rice
13 Dec 2025 16:08
Someday email will replace snail mail. No AI or robots needed. Amazon will take over parcel delivery and replace UPS, FedEx and all the other carriers. Amazon is the forthcoming Skynet. Be afraid. Be very afraid. In space, no one can hear you scream!
genya
06 Sep 2024 04:01
while other postal jobs are at higher risk of automation, it would be extremely difficult to automate the actual task of delivering on the street. while there are repetitive aspects to the job, there are simply far too many complicated, ever-changing variables for a machine to replicate the work. from working in all weather conditions, to driving in unpredictable traffic and road conditions, to specific customer and delivery needs that require complex thinking. a lot of problem-solving and risk-assessment involved in the job that cannot be easily replicated by automated technology. consider even a variable that is small and simple like a mailbox being moved or replaced in a new spot - an issue that would be easy for a human to problem-solve, but nearly-impossible for any artificial intelligence we could conceive in the foreseeable future.
mbailey (No chance)
08 Jul 2024 14:43
Will there be less, yes. Will it be replaced by robots in 20 years? NO WAY.
Nate (No chance)
29 May 2024 15:48
Clerk work might get automated, but delivering mail can not be automated in the next 20 years. They can't even get self driving right, walking up to a house is way beyond what a robot can do let alone sort and place mail. New technology might be invited to aid a carrier in delivering, but will not be replaced.
Philip Low (Highly likely)
08 Dec 2023 16:58
its a highly repetitive job and easy to replicate although some delivery areas will be automated faster than others
Jacob Green (Low)
13 Jul 2023 03:15
Being a mail carrier is harder than than it might seem. There is more to it than just putting things in boxes. We deliver in severe weather conditions like blizzards where am AI would have shard time seeing the road.
grinch (Uncertain)
11 Jun 2023 08:15
Doubt all jobs would suddenly be cut especially because of unions etc. In my country the roads are really rubbish and weather can be especially nasty, not to mention the import costs would likely be high for such technology. Maybe further in future I could see less and less postmen but I highly doubt this would happen for a long time, in any case if this happens then sign me up for the dole and I will live in my parents basement like an incel while watching the world go to ruin.
Jack (No chance)
28 Apr 2023 23:19
Not feasible in rural areas where requirements and routes are variable and non-standard.
J (Low)
25 Nov 2022 14:43
I work for USPS as a letter carrier. I can’t imagine management being able to maintain robots when they can hardly update equipment and vehicles as is.
Sujoi (Highly likely)
14 Mar 2022 14:33
As the development of autonomous drones and self-driving cars continues to improve, the role of the postal man will greatly shrink. I believe that even in the span of a single decade, the job will be considerably automated.
Anonymous
17 Sep 2021 15:01
Not sure but it's a lot of hurdles to overcome. Drones flying around with big boxes everywhere. Sounds cool but realistically in our modern society even is it going to be too much liability? If something falls or destroys packages and people's property then people of course will try and steal from them.
Dennis
09 Mar 2021 18:53
Even rural mail carriers?
Charlie(No chance) (No chance)
23 Feb 2021 18:29
I doubt postal mail carriers will be replaced by robots because of strong labor unions.
Angus (Highly likely)
31 Aug 2020 00:20
There is already post delivery robots in Brisbane suburbs in Queensland, Australia
NO (Moderate)
29 Jan 2020 10:26
Drone based delivery
Nancy (Low)
09 Dec 2022 03:05
There is human quality to this job that can't be replaced.
Tony (Moderate)
17 Jan 2020 17:35
It's pretty likely that we will find ways to deliver physical mail to people using machines in the next 20 years. :/
Jak Aser (Uncertain)
31 Oct 2019 11:28
Depends on a few things: how much does it takes to develop an autodriven car. how much it costs. how much it takes to develop an auto-driven drone. how to make it to get it directly to your home or mailbox, specially big packages. how to make it less costly than a human delivering the package. we have been waiting to the electric car like.... 40 years. it was said we would have it by the year 2000 and... still to many costs.
Patrik (Uncertain)
16 Aug 2019 17:45
Machines already sort most mail, only needs refinement. Selfdriving cars are on the horizon. We only need to combine the two.
Nilay (Highly likely)
24 Jun 2019 11:21
This job will be taken over due to the coming of drone delivery.
Steve Jennings (Highly likely)
08 May 2019 03:39
Small robots would be faster and more efficient
THE DUDE (No chance)
05 Mar 2023 19:19
Yeah until kids on the street light them on fire, break them etc. imagine the repair cost of a couple 100,000 robots. Better off paying people that actually care about customers. You think a mail delivery robot would save an elderly woman from a house fire or notify police of a burglary.
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Job description

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.

O*NET-SOC code: 43-5052.00