BLS postal mail carrier pay in every state and at every level, what weekly overtime adds and take-home after 2026 tax
Postal Service mail carriers earned a median of $60,550 a year in May 2025, $29.11 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counted 328,820 carriers. Pay is tightly bunched at the top: the 75th percentile, $38.94, and the 90th, $38.96, are nearly the same, against $20.38 at the bottom tenth. Overtime is extra.
This is the BLS line for Postal Service mail carriers (SOC 43-5052). Postal clerks and mail sorters and processors are separate lines, and private couriers aren't included. Overtime is excluded from BLS wages (BLS OEWS FAQ). Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.38 | $42,390 | $3,533 | $36,240 |
| 25th percentile | $23.53 | $48,940 | $4,078 | $41,503 |
| Median | $29.11 | $60,550 | $5,046 | $50,832 |
| 75th percentile | $38.94 | $81,000 | $6,750 | $65,814 |
| 90th percentile | $38.96 | $81,040 | $6,753 | $65,842 |
Carrier pay barely changes across the country. Washington, D.C. ($30.89), Rhode Island ($30.58) and Arizona ($30.00) top the table, and Mississippi ($27.63) sits at the bottom. California has the most carriers, 32,320, at $29.85, then Texas (26,700) at $29.11.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $30.89 | $64,250 | 930 |
| Rhode Island | $30.58 | $63,610 | 1,220 |
| Arizona | $30.00 | $62,390 | 5,300 |
| California | $29.85 | $62,090 | 32,320 |
| Illinois | $29.84 | $62,070 | 14,730 |
| Maryland | $29.84 | $62,070 | 6,420 |
| Massachusetts | $29.84 | $62,070 | 7,630 |
| Nevada | $29.84 | $62,070 | 2,530 |
| New York | $29.84 | $62,070 | 20,580 |
| Virginia | $29.84 | $62,070 | 7,900 |
| Connecticut | $29.39 | $61,130 | 4,510 |
| Florida | $29.39 | $61,130 | 20,810 |
| New Jersey | $29.39 | $61,130 | 10,160 |
| Ohio | $29.39 | $61,130 | 12,680 |
| South Dakota | $29.21 | $60,760 | 850 |
| Texas | $29.11 | $60,550 | 26,700 |
| Minnesota | $28.84 | $59,990 | 5,890 |
| New Hampshire | $28.84 | $59,990 | 1,560 |
| North Carolina | $28.84 | $59,990 | 11,030 |
| Washington | $28.84 | $59,990 | 6,550 |
| Alaska | $28.79 | $59,880 | 450 |
| Colorado | $28.79 | $59,880 | 5,100 |
| Delaware | $28.79 | $59,880 | 1,130 |
| Hawaii | $28.79 | $59,880 | 1,200 |
| Indiana | $28.79 | $59,880 | 6,910 |
| Iowa | $28.79 | $59,880 | 3,730 |
| Michigan | $28.79 | $59,880 | 11,610 |
| Missouri | $28.79 | $59,880 | 7,260 |
| Nebraska | $28.79 | $59,880 | 2,150 |
| New Mexico | $28.79 | $59,880 | 1,570 |
| Oklahoma | $28.79 | $59,880 | 4,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $28.79 | $59,880 | 13,900 |
| Utah | $28.79 | $59,880 | 2,460 |
| Wisconsin | $28.79 | $59,880 | 6,470 |
| Wyoming | $28.79 | $59,880 | 430 |
| Arkansas | $28.70 | $59,700 | 3,030 |
| Oregon | $28.56 | $59,400 | 3,760 |
| Maine | $28.37 | $59,010 | 1,510 |
| Montana | $28.37 | $59,010 | 830 |
| North Dakota | $28.37 | $59,010 | 800 |
| Vermont | $28.37 | $59,010 | 690 |
| Kentucky | $28.32 | $58,910 | 4,640 |
| Louisiana | $28.32 | $58,910 | 5,090 |
| Tennessee | $28.16 | $58,570 | 7,310 |
| Kansas | $28.15 | $58,540 | 3,310 |
| Idaho | $27.80 | $57,820 | 1,660 |
| Alabama | $27.74 | $57,700 | 5,840 |
| Georgia | $27.74 | $57,700 | 10,790 |
| South Carolina | $27.74 | $57,700 | 5,650 |
| West Virginia | $27.74 | $57,700 | 1,850 |
| Mississippi | $27.63 | $57,470 | 3,290 |
Most postal workers work full time and some work more than 40 hours a week. Because mail usually goes out 6 days a week, many carriers work Saturdays and some work Sundays. Carriers spend most of the day outdoors in every kind of weather; the work isn't especially dangerous, but lifting and bending can cause repetitive stress injuries (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
The Fair Labor Standards Act's definition of a covered employee expressly includes anyone employed by the U.S. Postal Service (29 U.S.C. 203(e)(2)(B)), so carriers are owed at least time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek. With 6-day delivery and the OOH noting that some postal workers work more than 40 hours a week, overtime is where carrier pay moves most — and it is left out of the BLS figures on this page.
Because BLS leaves overtime out, the table adds weekly overtime at time and a half of the BLS median carrier wage to the median salary, over 52 weeks. The weekly hours are examples, not BLS data; enter your own in the calculator to see take-home pay.
| Overtime hours a week | Overtime pay a year | Salary plus overtime |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $4,541 | $65,091 |
| 4 | $9,082 | $69,632 |
| 6 | $13,623 | $74,173 |
| 8 | $18,165 | $78,715 |
| 10 | $22,706 | $83,256 |
No formal education is required, though most carriers have a high school diploma. Applicants must pass a written exam on address checking, forms, memory and coding, and personal characteristics; be at least 18 (or 16 with a diploma) and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; pass a background check, medical assessment and drug screen; and, to drive, have a license, a safe driving record and a passed road test. Training is on the job and usually lasts a few weeks (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your mail carrier pay:
$60,550 a year ($29.11 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $48,940 to $81,000.
District of Columbia ($30.89 an hour, $64,250 a year), then Rhode Island and Arizona; Mississippi pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Yes. The FLSA covers Postal Service employees by name (29 U.S.C. 203(e)(2)(B)), so carriers are owed at least time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. BLS's carrier wages exclude overtime, so the table on this page shows what it adds.
Mail carriers work for one employer nationwide, and BLS's state medians on this page sit within a few dollars an hour of each other. The 75th and 90th percentile wages are almost identical too, so pay stops rising quickly near the top of the range.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.