Headline risk
46%
High RiskPostal service mail carriers
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
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.
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 57,490
Employment 2024
319.4K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-3.5%
Openings (2024–34)
20.6K
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. Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt. AI use: 0%
- 2. Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes. AI use: 0%
- 3. Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork. AI use: 0%
- 4. Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence. AI use: 0%
- 5. Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks. AI use: 0%
- 6. Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 45.5 · 371K employed
Under 25: 4% · 25–54: 73% · 55+: 24%
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
major_group_fallback · 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.