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The differences between couriers and mail clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a courier has an average salary of $36,228, which is higher than the $30,383 average annual salary of a mail clerk.
The top three skills for a courier include delivery service, safety policies and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a mail clerk are customer service, delivery sequence, and place packages.
| Courier | Mail Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $36,228 | $30,383 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $14.61 |
| Growth rate | 11% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,088 | 80,560 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
A courier, also known as a messenger, is an individual who delivers goods to consumers or businesses. Those could be important documents, special packages, items, and even messages from one person to another. Their means of transportation vary from roller skates, bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, trucks, and airplanes. Some even travel by foot or any public transportation depending on the target location. Some are employees dedicated to companies, while others are freelancers who provide delivery services.
A mail clerk is responsible for sorting and processing mails for the business. Mail clerks' duties include maintenance of mailing supplies by regularly monitoring inventory, forwarding incoming mails and safe packages to appropriate departments, labeling outgoing mails with secured packaging, keeping records of acknowledged mails, and returning misdirected mails to the correct recipient. A mail clerk must be detail-oriented, as well as having strong organizational and multi-tasking skills to arrange deliveries, operate mailing machines, and categorize efficiently.
Couriers and mail clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Courier | Mail Clerk | |
| Average salary | $36,228 | $30,383 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $44,000 | Between $22,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Retail |
There are a few differences between a courier and a mail clerk in terms of educational background:
| Courier | Mail Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between couriers' and mail clerks' demographics:
| Courier | Mail Clerk | |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9% | Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 6.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |