Occupation Summary

Postal Service Mail Carriers

O*NET 43-5052.00

Description:

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.

Annual Wages:
$59,737.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 11.94%.
Education Level:
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

  1. Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork.
  2. Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence.
  3. Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks.
  4. Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
  5. Turn in money and receipts collected along mail routes.
  6. Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
  7. Record address changes and redirect mail for those addresses.
  8. Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
  9. Bundle mail in preparation for delivery or transportation to relay boxes.
  10. Leave notices telling patrons where to collect mail that could not be delivered.
  11. Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail.
  12. Return incorrectly addressed mail to senders.
  13. Maintain accurate records of deliveries.
  14. Answer customers' questions about postal services and regulations.
  15. Provide customers with change of address cards and other forms.
  16. Report any unusual circumstances concerning mail delivery, including the condition of street letter boxes.
  17. Register, certify, and insure parcels and letters.
  18. Travel to post offices to pick up the mail for routes or pick up mail from postal relay boxes.
  19. Complete forms that notify publishers of address changes.
  20. Sell stamps and money orders.
  21. Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.


No Industry Employment Patterns found.

Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $28.72
2024 National average hourly wage $28.79
2022 National employment 314,500
2022 Texas employment 25,588
Texas projected employment by 2032 28,643
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 2,330




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
85.00%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
65.00%
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
64.20%
Sales and Marketing
Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
63.00%
Transportation
Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
59.20%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
57.20%
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
54.60%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
53.00%
Administrative
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
49.40%
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
47.00%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
60.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
60.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
60.00%
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
60.00%
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
57.60%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
55.00%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
52.40%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
52.40%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
52.40%
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
52.40%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
62.40%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
62.40%
Speech Recognition
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
60.00%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
60.00%
Category Flexibility
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
60.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
60.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
60.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
60.00%
Arm-Hand Steadiness
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
60.00%
Trunk Strength
The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
60.00%


  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    -- Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Performing General Physical Activities
    -- Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Handling and Moving Objects
    -- Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    -- Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Other Activities


  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

No certifications found.


Tools

Automobiles or cars: Passenger vehicles;

Bar code reader equipment: Portable barcode scanners;

Carts: Wheeled carts;

Light trucks or sport utility vehicles: Small trucks;

Mail box: Mail relay boxes;

Non metallic baskets: Mail sorting trays;

Portable data input terminals: Delivery unit computers; Handheld computers;

Safety chains: Postal vehicle tire chains;

Storage racks or shelves: Mail distribution cases; Route cases;

Time card machines: Time clocks;


Technology

Data base user interface and query software: Address Management System AMS; Automated Data Collection System ADCS; End of Run Report EOR;

Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Delivery operations information system DOIS;

Human resources software: Time and Attendance Collection System TACS;

Map creation software: Delivery Routing System DRS;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Microsoft Windows;

Time accounting software: Electronic Time Clock ETC;

Word processing software: Microsoft Word; Word processing software;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Postal Service Mail Carriers include:
  • 43-5011.00 Cargo and Freight Agents
  • 43-5021.00 Couriers and Messengers
  • 43-5032.00 Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
  • 43-5011.01 Freight Forwarders
  • 53-3033.00 Light Truck Drivers
  • 43-9051.00 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
  • 43-5051.00 Postal Service Clerks
  • 43-5053.00 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
  • 11-9131.00 Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
  • 43-5071.00 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about postal service workers, including job requirements, entrance examinations, and employment opportunities, visit: United States Postal Service
  • Postal Service Clerks
  • Postal Service Mail Carriers
  • Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.