Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

43-9051 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service

Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Use hand or mail handling machines to time stamp, open, read, sort, and route incoming mail; and address, seal, stamp, fold, stuff, and affix postage to outgoing mail or packages. Duties may also include keeping necessary records and completed forms.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
115,010 3.9 % $13.47 $28,010 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.73 $10.23 $12.79 $16.09 $19.55
Annual Wage (2) $18,160 $21,270 $26,610 $33,460 $40,670


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Business Support Services 19,100 2.34 $11.91 $24,770
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 14,510 3.46 $12.25 $25,480
Employment Services 11,890 0.40 $12.33 $25,650
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 8,620 1.78 $13.28 $27,620
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 6,700 0.32 $16.23 $33,750

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 14,510 3.46 $12.25 $25,480
Business Support Services 19,100 2.34 $11.91 $24,770
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 8,620 1.78 $13.28 $27,620
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services 2,250 0.94 $13.45 $27,970
Printing and Related Support Activities 4,030 0.84 $13.95 $29,010

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 40 0.01 $19.18 $39,900
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers 140 0.10 $17.58 $36,560
Other Information Services (8) (8) $17.38 $36,140
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 150 0.04 $17.17 $35,720
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 60 0.32 $16.94 $35,240


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 10,310 1.22 1.36 $15.24 $31,690
California 9,260 0.66 0.74 $14.59 $30,350
Texas 7,610 0.74 0.82 $12.62 $26,260
Pennsylvania 6,810 1.23 1.37 $13.61 $28,320
Illinois 5,180 0.93 1.04 $13.07 $27,180




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,060 1.65 1.84 $18.50 $38,490
Connecticut 2,210 1.37 1.53 $13.53 $28,150
Iowa 1,960 1.35 1.51 $11.98 $24,910
Pennsylvania 6,810 1.23 1.37 $13.61 $28,320
New York 10,310 1.22 1.36 $15.24 $31,690




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,060 1.65 1.84 $18.50 $38,490
Massachusetts 3,020 0.96 1.07 $15.37 $31,970
New York 10,310 1.22 1.36 $15.24 $31,690
Arizona 1,930 0.81 0.91 $14.70 $30,580
Rhode Island 410 0.90 1.01 $14.60 $30,360





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 7,170 1.42 1.58 $15.66 $32,570
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 4,370 1.22 1.36 $13.11 $27,270
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 3,510 1.52 1.69 $16.08 $33,450
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 2,680 1.20 1.34 $12.56 $26,120
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,670 0.70 0.78 $14.33 $29,800
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 2,560 1.41 1.57 $14.99 $31,190
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 2,410 1.99 2.22 $13.54 $28,150
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,270 1.11 1.24 $13.32 $27,690
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 2,010 1.18 1.31 $14.36 $29,870
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 1,820 1.09 1.21 $15.41 $32,050




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Lynchburg, VA 430 4.44 4.96 $10.43 $21,700
Topeka, KS 330 3.12 3.48 $12.20 $25,370
Fresno, CA 960 3.09 3.45 $12.92 $26,870
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 1,670 3.04 3.40 $12.87 $26,780
Battle Creek, MI 130 2.38 2.66 $11.92 $24,800
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 710 2.23 2.49 $12.15 $25,280
Akron, OH 690 2.20 2.45 $10.98 $22,840
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 410 2.13 2.38 $13.79 $28,680
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 2,410 1.99 2.22 $13.54 $28,150
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metropolitan Division 1,640 1.68 1.87 $11.94 $24,840




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 820 0.86 0.96 $18.80 $39,110
Amarillo, TX 50 0.49 0.55 $17.79 $37,000
Trenton-Ewing, NJ 220 1.03 1.15 $17.75 $36,910
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 300 0.34 0.38 $17.42 $36,220
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $16.77 $34,880
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 50 0.29 0.32 $16.50 $34,330
Framingham, MA NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $16.25 $33,790
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 830 1.50 1.67 $16.15 $33,590
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 3,510 1.52 1.69 $16.08 $33,450
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 260 0.63 0.70 $16.03 $33,340

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 390 1.77 1.97 $11.81 $24,560
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 230 2.73 3.04 $10.15 $21,110
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 180 0.66 0.74 (8) (8)
Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 150 1.02 1.14 $12.59 $26,190
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 140 0.84 0.93 $10.43 $21,690

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 230 2.73 3.04 $10.15 $21,110
Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 80 2.18 2.43 $13.63 $28,360
Northwestern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 90 2.15 2.40 $8.91 $18,540
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 390 1.77 1.97 $11.81 $24,560
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 100 1.42 1.59 $15.21 $31,640

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 30 0.20 0.22 $15.99 $33,270
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 100 1.42 1.59 $15.21 $31,640
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 130 0.64 0.71 $15.03 $31,260
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $14.69 $30,550
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 50 0.26 0.29 $14.69 $30,550


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012