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The differences between mail machine operators and mail clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mail machine operator has an average salary of $30,675, which is higher than the $30,383 average annual salary of a mail clerk.
The top three skills for a mail machine operator include minor maintenance, service calls and photocopying. The most important skills for a mail clerk are customer service, delivery sequence, and place packages.
| Mail Machine Operator | Mail Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $30,675 | $30,383 |
| Hourly rate | $14.75 | $14.61 |
| Growth rate | - | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 71,436 | 80,560 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A mail machine operator is responsible for ensuring that all outbound and inbound mail is properly managed and distributed. They commonly handle mail machines for the purpose of collecting, sorting, opening, fixing, sealing, and folding mail envelopes. A mail machine operator removes the mail from containers and transfers it into its designated areas. Other than that, they are also tasked to inspect and keep records and forms in their proper places, and wrap gifts, parcels, and items in a package manually or by using a machine.
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.
Mail machine operators and mail clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mail Machine Operator | Mail Clerk | |
| Average salary | $30,675 | $30,383 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $37,000 | Between $22,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Washington State University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a mail machine operator and a mail clerk in terms of educational background:
| Mail Machine Operator | Mail Clerk | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between mail machine operators' and mail clerks' demographics:
| Mail Machine Operator | Mail Clerk | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.5% Female, 42.5% | Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 6.6% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 7% | 7% |