Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

43-5021 Couriers and Messengers

Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance. Excludes "Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers" (53-3033).


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)
83,250 2.0 % $12.79 $26,600 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.39 $9.55 $11.90 $14.86 $18.36
Annual Wage (2) $17,450 $19,870 $24,750 $30,900 $38,200


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)
Local Messengers and Local Delivery 11,610 25.87 $12.37 $25,730
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 10,710 2.24 $13.21 $27,470
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 10,230 4.46 $13.40 $27,870
Legal Services 8,290 0.74 $12.25 $25,490
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 4,900 0.09 $12.98 $27,000

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Messengers and Local Delivery 11,610 25.87 $12.37 $25,730
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 10,230 4.46 $13.40 $27,870
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 1,070 2.60 $12.07 $25,110
Couriers and Express Delivery Services 10,710 2.24 $13.21 $27,470
Legal Services 8,290 0.74 $12.25 $25,490

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Postal Service 230 0.04 $25.52 $53,090
Wired Telecommunications Carriers (8) (8) $18.64 $38,770
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 50 (7) $16.53 $34,370
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services 40 0.03 $16.20 $33,700
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 40 0.01 $15.96 $33,190


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)
California 11,150 0.79 1.22 $13.03 $27,110
New York 9,210 1.09 1.68 $13.71 $28,520
Texas 6,580 0.64 0.98 $12.20 $25,370
Florida 5,100 0.71 1.10 $12.73 $26,470
Illinois 3,540 0.63 0.98 $13.23 $27,510




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)
Nevada 1,400 1.26 1.94 $14.73 $30,630
New York 9,210 1.09 1.68 $13.71 $28,520
Rhode Island 440 0.97 1.49 $12.28 $25,550
Massachusetts 2,720 0.86 1.33 $15.19 $31,600
Oregon 1,280 0.80 1.24 $14.54 $30,240




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 190 0.30 0.46 $16.14 $33,570
Colorado 1,300 0.60 0.92 $15.54 $32,320
Massachusetts 2,720 0.86 1.33 $15.19 $31,600
Alaska 210 0.66 1.02 $14.90 $30,990
Nevada 1,400 1.26 1.94 $14.73 $30,630





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 6,630 1.31 2.02 $13.13 $27,320
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,540 1.19 1.83 $13.21 $27,470
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,520 0.70 1.08 $13.32 $27,710
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 1,650 0.99 1.52 $16.15 $33,600
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,460 0.71 1.10 $13.00 $27,030
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,440 0.56 0.87 $13.04 $27,130
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 1,180 1.47 2.26 $15.41 $32,060
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,160 0.64 0.99 $13.02 $27,090
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 1,120 0.93 1.43 $17.88 $37,190
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 990 0.71 1.10 $12.04 $25,050




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)
Punta Gorda, FL 130 3.20 4.93 $9.01 $18,740
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA 120 2.62 4.04 $8.96 $18,640
Wausau, WI 130 1.97 3.04 $14.71 $30,600
Laredo, TX 150 1.68 2.59 $9.63 $20,030
Great Falls, MT 60 1.59 2.45 $14.33 $29,810
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 370 1.58 2.43 $12.16 $25,280
Flint, MI 200 1.56 2.40 $13.00 $27,040
Lewiston, ID-WA 40 1.55 2.39 $12.73 $26,470
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 1,180 1.47 2.26 $15.41 $32,060
Tallahassee, FL 220 1.38 2.12 $10.04 $20,880




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)
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 1,120 0.93 1.43 $17.88 $37,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 790 0.34 0.52 $16.96 $35,270
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO 890 0.74 1.14 $16.68 $34,700
Olympia, WA (8) (8) (8) $16.58 $34,490
New Haven, CT 80 0.31 0.48 $16.39 $34,100
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 1,650 0.99 1.52 $16.15 $33,600
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 80 0.87 1.34 $15.87 $33,010
Evansville, IN-KY 40 0.24 0.36 $15.79 $32,840
Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA-NH NECTA Division (8) (8) (8) $15.72 $32,700
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 70 0.17 0.26 $15.65 $32,550

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)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 200 0.96 1.48 $8.52 $17,720
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 180 0.65 1.00 $10.85 $22,580
Far Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 130 0.82 1.26 $10.92 $22,710
Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 130 0.80 1.24 $9.23 $19,210
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 130 0.69 1.06 $13.85 $28,810

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)
Northeastern Virginia nonmetropolitan area 50 1.10 1.69 $12.54 $26,090
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 200 0.96 1.48 $8.52 $17,720
Southwestern Montana nonmetropolitan area 110 0.95 1.46 $14.10 $29,330
Far Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 130 0.82 1.26 $10.92 $22,710
Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 130 0.80 1.24 $9.23 $19,210

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)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 40 0.55 0.85 $16.32 $33,950
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $15.82 $32,900
Central New York nonmetropolitan area 50 0.39 0.60 $15.35 $31,920
Southwestern Montana nonmetropolitan area 110 0.95 1.46 $14.10 $29,330
Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 50 0.38 0.58 $13.98 $29,070


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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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