Headline risk
21%
Moderate RiskPostal service clerks
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 61,630
Employment 2024
74.2K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-3.5%
Openings (2024–34)
6.1K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing. AI use: 0%
- 2. Answer questions regarding mail regulations and procedures, postage rates, and post office boxes. AI use: 0%
- 3. Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage. AI use: 0%
- 4. Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices. AI use: 0%
- 5. Transport mail from one work station to another. AI use: 0%
- 6. Obtain signatures from recipients of registered or special delivery mail. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 48.5 · 96K employed
Under 25: 3% · 25–54: 68% · 55+: 29%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Postal service workers sell postage and related products and collect, sort, and deliver mail.
Postal service clerks and mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators work indoors, typically in a post office. Mail carriers mostly work outdoors, delivering mail.
Although no formal education is typically required to enter these occupations, most postal service workers have at least a high school diploma. All applicants for these jobs must pass a written exam.
The median annual wage for postal service workers was $57,870 in May 2024.
Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.