Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
Explore safer careers (5)
Lower estimated automation risk
Why it fits
Uses sorting, scanning, locating items, staging, order flow, containers, and warehouse pace.
Why it fits
Uses sacks, containers, loading, staging, physical handling, safety, and fast-paced distribution work.
Why it fits
Reuses addresses, route order, USPS rules, mail handling, scanning, customer contact, and delivery records.
Why it fits
Strong postal move using USPS procedures, customer mail services, records, labels, parcels, and routing.
Why it fits
Applies labels, manifests, parcels, shipment records, routing, exceptions, and inventory handoffs.
Occupation snapshot
What does this snowflake show?
What's this?
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
Imminent Risk (81-100%): This occupation appears highly exposed to end-to-end replacement by AI, software, robotics, or other computer-controlled systems. Roles in this range often involve predictable, repeatable, or rules-based work with limited need for human judgement, trust, creativity, or adaptation to messy real-world conditions. This does not mean every job will disappear immediately, but it is a strong signal to consider safer alternatives or start building more resilient skills.
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.
What users think
Based on 22 votes
Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 85% chance of automation.
What do you think the risk of automation is?
What is the likelihood that Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?
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Pay & outlook
Wages
In 2024, the median annual wage for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators was $56,530 ($27 per hour).
The median annual wage for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators was 14.2% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.
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Wages over time
Growth
The number of 'Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators' job openings is expected to decline 8.4% by 2034
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Total employment, and estimated job openings
Updated projections are due 09-2025.
Volume
As of 2024 there were 111,930 people employed as 'Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators' within the United States.
This represents around 0.07% of the employed workforce across the country
Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators'.
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Job description
Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks, and perform other duties related to mail handling within the postal service. Includes postal service mail sorters and processors employed by USPS contractors.
O*NET-SOC code: 43-5053.00
What people are saying (2)
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