Office and Administrative Support · Holland code CRE

Postal Service Clerks

Perform any combination of tasks in a United States Postal Service (USPS) post office, such as receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail rack or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Includes postal service clerks employed by USPS contractors.

Also called: Clerk, Postal Clerk, Sales and Service Associate (SSA), Window Clerk, Bulk Mail Technician, Distribution Clerk, Part Time Flexible Clerk (PTF Clerk), Sales and Distribution Clerk.

O*NET 43-5051.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $62,130; Middle half earn $56,740 to $70,890. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 68% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Sell and collect payment for products such as stamps, prepaid mail envelopes, and money orders.
Weigh letters and parcels, compute mailing costs based on type, weight, and destination, and affix correct postage.
Keep money drawers in order, and record and balance daily transactions.
Check mail to ensure correct postage and that packages and letters are in proper condition for mailing.
Register, certify, and insure letters and parcels.
Complete forms regarding changes of address, or theft or loss of mail, or for special services such as registered or priority mail.
Sort incoming and outgoing mail, according to type and destination, by hand or by operating electronic mail-sorting and scanning devices.
Receive letters and parcels, and place mail into bags.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.4 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5
Writing2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.4 / 5
Sales and Marketing3.0 / 5
Administrative3.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic37
Investigative0
Artistic0
Social26
Enterprising28
Conventional93

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

post office counter clerk · DE Postschalterbediensteter/Postschalterbedienstete · FR guichetier en bureau de poste/guichetière en bureau de poste

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Bank and post office clerks (4123)66,300 employed
Financial administrative occupations n.e.c. (4129)178,300 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Clerical support workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Clerical support workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,035
Austria	€38,296
Germany	€37,844
Netherlands	€35,854
Sweden	€33,483
Ireland	€32,144
Italy	€29,311
France	€25,943
Spain	€22,026
Portugal	€12,602
Poland	€10,250

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.52. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (43-5051).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test