Mail carriers are employees of the United States Postal Service (USPS) or private package delivery companies; at FedEx they are called couriers, and at United Parcel Service (UPS), package delivery drivers. They deliver and collect mail on the specific routes assigned to them. Residential carriers deliver the mail on foot and by vehicle to people in cities and suburbs. Because of the large distances between homes in the country, rural carriers drive their routes to reach customers. The USPS employs 315,950 mail carriers, who are also known as letter carriers. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of mail carriers are employed by private delivery companies.

Salary Range

$25,000 to $75,000

Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma

Certification/License

None

Outlook

Decline

Personality Traits

Athletic

Hands On

Organized

Career Ladder

Supervisor or Manager

Mail Carrier

Substitute Carrier