What is a Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator?
Career Description Prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution. Examine, sort, and route mail. Load, operate, and occasionally adjust and repair mail processing, sorting, and canceling machinery. Keep records of shipments, pouches, and sacks; and other duties related to mail handling within the postal service.
Life As a Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator
- Accept and check containers of mail from large volume mailers, couriers, and contractors.
- Direct items according to established routing schemes, using computer-controlled keyboards or voice-recognition equipment.
- Bundle, label, and route sorted mail to designated areas, depending on destinations and according to established procedures and deadlines.
- Move containers of mail, using equipment, such as forklifts and automated “trains”.
- Rewrap soiled or broken parcels.
- Weigh articles to determine required postage.
Featured schools near , edit
What Every Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator Should Know
These are the skills Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators say are the most useful in their careers:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Types of Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator
- Distributor
- Assorter
- Distribution Clerk
- Mail Forwarding System Markup Clerk
- Dead Mail Checker
Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator Employment Estimates
There were about 106,700 jobs for Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator. The BLS estimates 5,200 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator are Utah, Texas, and Connecticut. Watch out if you plan on working in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Oklahoma. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator
The typical yearly salary for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators is somewhere between $35,230 and $60,110.

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators who work in Idaho, Delaware, or Hawaii, make the highest salaries.
How much do Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $51,250 |
Alaska | $48,540 |
Arizona | $49,170 |
Arkansas | $51,220 |
California | $51,520 |
Colorado | $50,680 |
Connecticut | $52,580 |
Delaware | $53,890 |
District of Columbia | $52,930 |
Florida | $51,870 |
Georgia | $52,330 |
Hawaii | $51,760 |
Idaho | $52,820 |
Illinois | $50,880 |
Indiana | $48,870 |
Iowa | $51,130 |
Kansas | $49,850 |
Kentucky | $49,600 |
Louisiana | $51,350 |
Maine | $50,930 |
Maryland | $51,520 |
Massachusetts | $51,750 |
Michigan | $51,510 |
Minnesota | $50,070 |
Mississippi | $49,260 |
Missouri | $51,140 |
Montana | $48,100 |
Nebraska | $49,670 |
Nevada | $50,820 |
New Hampshire | $50,120 |
New Jersey | $52,420 |
New Mexico | $50,310 |
New York | $51,390 |
North Carolina | $50,900 |
North Dakota | $45,980 |
Ohio | $50,030 |
Oklahoma | $50,110 |
Oregon | $49,580 |
Pennsylvania | $51,710 |
Rhode Island | $51,460 |
South Carolina | $49,560 |
South Dakota | $48,020 |
Tennessee | $51,100 |
Texas | $52,430 |
Utah | $49,140 |
Vermont | $53,070 |
Virginia | $51,260 |
Washington | $52,420 |
West Virginia | $46,550 |
Wisconsin | $52,390 |
Wyoming | $50,400 |
What Tools do Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators:
- Time and Attendance Collection System TACS
- Electronic Time Clock ETC
- Address Management System AMS
- NCR Advanced Store
- Delivery Routing System DRS
How to Become a Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator
Are there Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become a Postal Service Mail Processing Machine Operator?

Where Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Work

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators work in the following industries:

Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Postal Service Mail Sorter, Processor, and Processing Machine Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |