Gather mail and run sorters
Gather the mail and supplies you need, then run the sorting machines that split incoming or outgoing pieces.
Career profile
Mail Processing Worker
United States Postal Service (USPS) sorters separate letters and parcels and run mail-moving machines.
Like hands-on work where every piece has a set destination? Imagine turning a jumbled heap of mail into tidy groups ready to ship out.
A day in the life
Hand-sort odd-sized pieces
You sort odd-sized mail and items that need extra care into their correct groups by hand.
Handle unclear addresses and damage
Confirm any hard-to-read address before you send the item on, and examine parcels with damaged wrapping.
Bundle, tag, and dispatch
Bundle the sorted mail, tag bundles with their destinations, and take them to dispatch before the cutoff.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States · 2025
$58,470 a year
United States · May 2025
5.3% fewer jobs projected
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobTypically no formal educational credential or related experience; short-term workplace training. Employer hiring requirements still apply.
Pay
$58,470 a yearNational median for postal mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators; the hourly median is $28.11.
Outlook
5.3% fewer jobs projectedAbout 7,300 openings a year are projected nationally for this occupation despite declining employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can keep checking details through repeated tasks.
- You enjoy moving objects and working with equipment.
Things to weigh
- Long stretches of standing and lifting heavy mail can be tiring.
- Weekend work is possible, and some postal employees work more than 40 hours a week.
Where AI may help
Machines read addresses and automatically sort and forward mail, reducing the number of pieces you must route individually.
What people still lead
People still handle awkward pieces and address problems and keep mail moving between operations.
What we can’t predict yet
As equipment and facilities change, the balance between hand sorting, machine operation, and moving containers may shift at your workplace.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median was $58,470 a year, or $28.11 an hour, in May 2025. That describes the occupation, not your starting offer.
The national spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned $45,530 or less annually; the highest-paid 10% earned $75,280 or more. Hourly thresholds were $21.89 and $36.19. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and experienced-worker rates.
What changes postal pay
USPS career clerk pay uses job grades and pay steps under a union agreement. Negotiated wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments can change the schedule. Check the appointment type, grade, and step in an offer.
Openings in a shrinking occupation
Employment is projected to fall 5.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,300 openings annually. Openings can exist while total employment falls; this is not a count of vacancies available today.
Getting started
Apply as a processing clerk
- What the route involves
- Apply for a Postal Support Employee (PSE) Mail Processing Clerk position and complete the required Virtual Entry Assessment for Mail Processing, Exam 476.
- What it can lead to
- If hired, you enter work centered on automated sorting and manual mail distribution.
Apply as a mail handler assistant
- What the route involves
- Apply for a Mail Handler Assistant position and complete the required Virtual Entry Assessment for Mail Handlers, Exam 475.
- What it can lead to
- If hired, you enter the bulk-mail side of processing: unloading, separating, and moving mail between trucks and equipment.
For either USPS route, you generally must be 18, or 16 with a high school diploma; meet citizenship or residency rules; provide employment history; and pass required screening. Selective Service registration applies when required, and overseas residence can affect background-check eligibility. Applications and exams are free. Follow the posting's examination requirements.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Learn your operation
During initial workplace training, learn the sorting routine and how to handle mail and equipment safely.
Build equipment skills
Use hands-on training to become comfortable with more of the equipment used in your processing operation.
Explore supervision
If coordinating other people's work appeals to you, explore supervisor openings. USPS provides training for new supervisors; advancement requires selection.
Where you can work
Regional processing centers
These centers combine outgoing letters and larger flat mail with package processing. Your operation sits within a wider flow of mail entering and leaving the region.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Local processing centers
The focus is letters and flat mail arriving for local delivery, plus packages transferring onward. Some local operations share a building with a regional center.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make 20 cards with fictional addresses and sort them into five destination bins. Include two unclear addresses to set aside for checking. Repeat, then inspect every bin. Notice whether you enjoy maintaining accuracy as the task becomes repetitive.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–35. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National wages for occupation 43-5053.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United States Postal Service. Top jobs. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United States Postal Service. Postal exams. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United States Postal Service. How to apply. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Postal Service Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United States Postal Service. Network Modernization 101. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United States Postal Service. Career development. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- American Postal Workers Union. Pay Scales for Regular Employees. Accessed 2026-10-03.