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Employees of the United States Postal Service enjoy good benefits and a great work environment. We explain how much they earn and what you need to become one of them.
Who could live without the service provided by USPS postal workers in the United States? And it is that they are not only in charge of delivering packages or letters, part of their tasks is to classify, process and operate machines to have the mail ready for deliveries.
Their functions may change day by day and they do not necessarily have to always be performing a fixed task. In the United States this service is offered through USPS, a company that belongs to the government, and that, through the sale of stamps and envelopes, to answer the questions that customers have about the mail process, manage purchases and calculate mail costs, it is achieved that there is a service like this in the country.
According to The Balance Careers and research by Payscale, the average salary of a U.S. Postal Service employee is around $63,000, although this amount will vary according to the state where they are based. But according to calculations, it can range from $35,960 to $60,000 annually.
The important point is not in the amount they receive in cash, but rather there are several benefits and quite good, which are offered to them at the same time.
Some of these benefits are that postal employees are eligible for a pension plan along with a 401(k) plan, in addition to granting them the Social Security benefit. This implies that they can retire at a very good age, and maintain an economically stable life for the rest of their lives.
They also receive overtime pay, they are granted paid vacation. In addition, they receive health insurance and are granted life insurance. In this context, people who have worked for USPS explain that really working there is having an excellent work environment. And in fact, it’s a street job, active, without having to be clinging to a desk.
The physical delivery of packages, letters and other documents is an essential part of the modern economy, despite the rise of digital communication technologies. Letter carriers are workers employed by the US Postal Service. They sort, transport, and deliver mail to residences and businesses. They must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and must pass a written exam and be able to carry mail bags weighing up to 50 pounds (23.58 kg).
Salary
Approximately 339,030 mail carriers work for the USPS. In May 2009, the median annual salary for letter carriers was $52,200. The 25th percentile earned annual salaries of $43,580, while salaries for the 75th percentile were $53,680 per year. The bottom 10 percent of mail carriers earned less than $37,950 a year, while the opposite 10 percent earned more than $53,700 a year. The median hourly wage was US$30.40; the 25th percentile earned wages of $24.63 per hour and the 75th percentile earned wages of $38.18 per hour. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $19.55 an hour, while the opposite 10 percent earned more than $48.31 an hour.
Additional compensation and benefits
In addition to base pay, letter carriers get bonus pay for working more than 8 hours a day during a 40-hour work week, differential pay for the evening shift, and 25 percent more of their pay for working the Sundays, which equates to a median hourly rate of $37. Benefits include the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, retirement savings, life insurance, and 10 paid vacations per year.
Average salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual wage for letter carriers was $51,390 as of May 2011. This estimated wage is derived from an average wage of $24.71 per hour and assumes 2,080 hours of work per year. The average income of postmen was US$55,160. The mean is the value obtained by the worker at the middle of the salary scale, which means that half of the workers earn more than the average and half earn less.
States with the Highest Wages
Mail carrier salaries vary slightly from state to state. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that mail carriers working in the District of Columbia led the nation with a median annual salary of $53,810. Mail carriers in Hawaii earned $53,800 on average, workers in Alaska earned $53,780 and those in California $53,460. Michigan had the highest concentration of letter carriers of any state and they earned $51,220 on average.
Greater Concentration
Michigan has the highest concentration of letter carriers, and here the median annual wage was $48,710, or $23.42 per hour. According to information from the BLS, the metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of letter carriers were Palm Coast, Florida, with wages of US$44,520 or US$21.40 per hour; Connecticut, with median annual wages of $50,120 or $24.10 per hour; and Madera, California, with median annual wages of $44,520 or $21.40 per hour.
Higher Wages
The BLS reported that the District of Columbia offered the highest wages for letter carriers, with median annual wages of $51,600, or $24.81 per hour. Fairbanks, Alaska, was the highest-paying metropolitan area, with median annual wages of $52,530, or $25.25 per hour. In Massachusetts, the median annual wages were $50,500 or $24.28 per hour and in Carson City, Nevada, the median annual wages were $53,440 or $25.21 per hour.
Employment Forecast
The Postal Service faces competition from private courier and package companies such as UPS and FedEx, as well as communication technologies such as email and fax. Strong competition coupled with tight government budgets is likely to reduce the strength of the Postal Service to provide jobs for letter carriers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects total employment for them to decline by 12 percent from 2010 to 2020. Competition for jobs is likely to be very strong.
What do you need to work in the US Postal Service?
You don’t need more than a high school diploma. An important part is the training that they will give you so that you can do your job. The plus is that they will pay you for this training, since it is taken into account as an internship.
This training is made up of an 18-month program and once you finish it, there is a good chance that you will be able to hire yourself with USPS, the United States Postal Service.