Postal service mail carriers
SOC Code: 43-5052
Postal service mail carriers carries a 45% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $57,490 and -3.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 319,400 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 45% AI exposure, Postal service mail carriers sits 8 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 79% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
29/100
Postal service mail carriers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage D $57,490
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -3.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 45% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Postal service mail carriers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Postal service mail carriers keeps an No credential bar (109 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Postal service mail carriers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Postal service mail carriers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
45% Higher than most higher than 79% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Postal service mail carriers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Postal service mail carriers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Postal service mail carriers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 43-5052) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Postal service mail carriers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Postal service mail carriers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.
- 2. Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork.
- 3. Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
- 4. Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence.
- 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.
- 6. Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail.
- 7. Register, certify, and insure parcels and letters.
- 8. Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
- 9. Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
- 10. Turn in money and receipts collected along mail routes.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Time Management
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Judgment and Decision Making
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Sales and Marketing
- Transportation
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- Administrative
- Mathematics
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Postal service mail carriers?
Postal service mail carriers has an AI exposure score of 45%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Postal service mail carriers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Postal service mail carriers is projected to decline by 3.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 319,400 workers.
What skills are needed for Postal service mail carriers?
Key skills for Postal service mail carriers include Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.
How much do Postal service mail carriers earn?
The median annual wage for Postal service mail carriers is $57,490, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Postal service mail carriers?
The typical entry-level education for Postal service mail carriers is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Postal service mail carriers?
Postal service mail carriers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Postal service mail carriers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (45% here).
- Advertising sales agents · AI exposure 45%
- Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys · AI exposure 45%
- Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment · AI exposure 45%
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers · AI exposure 45%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-3.5% here).
- Postal service clerks · growth -3.5%
- Postmasters and mail superintendents · growth -3.5%
- Conveyor operators and tenders · growth -3.4%
- Food preparation workers · growth -3.4%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 24 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Postal service mail carriers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Postal service mail carriers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).