As sure as the sun comes up every morning, packages need to be delivered. If the packages don't make it to the truck on time then how are people supposed to get the unnecessary things they order from Amazon? With online shopping at our fingertips, this position is more important than ever.

Millions of people are depending on you to get their package to them in a timely fashion. Your job is to make sure packages are placed in the right places so that they go out on time. There is a bit of training on the job, but for the most part there is no formal education requirement. If being depended on by lots of people doesn't stress you out, then you should look into becoming a package handler.

What Does a Package Handler Do

There are certain skills that many package handlers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed listening skills, physical stamina and physical strength.

Learn more about what a Package Handler does

How To Become a Package Handler

If you're interested in becoming a package handler, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 19.2% of package handlers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.0% of package handlers have master's degrees. Even though some package handlers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Package Handler

Package Handler Job Description

Package handlers are warehouse professionals who receive delivered goods, store them in their proper location or shelves, handle them properly, and prepare these goods for packaging. They may also be assigned to package goods and load them onto trucks or other logistics vehicles so that they can ensure that goods are in proper condition.

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Package Handler Career Paths

Average Salary for a Package Handler

Package Handlers in America make an average salary of $32,785 per year or $16 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $41,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Package Handler Salary
$32,785 Yearly
$15.76 hourly

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Roles and Types of Package Handler

The role of a package handler includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general package handler responsibilities:

  • Unloading, loading, counting and processing packages four (4)- shifts available / pay $11 per hour (all shifts are four-five hour shifts) sunrise: shift begins at 3:55 am (tuesday through saturday) noonday: shift begins at 11:25 am (monday through friday) twilight: shift begins at 6:00 pm (monday through friday) midnight: shift begins at 11:25 pm (monday through friday)#quickapplyworkitrequirements why kelly®?at kelly services®, we work with the best. Our clients include 97 of the fortune 100™ companies,
  • Bagging foam, picking debris up and putting in bin to be re-used. Must be able to read a tape measure follow written
  • Daily training and coaching to help associates increase production. Scan product into software system follow software directives to conduct step-by-step process conduct an assessment on product, measure size

There are several types of package handler, including:

Material Handler

Role:

Material handlers, well, they handle materials. But you probably already knew that. Generally, the handling portion extends to moving, shelving, loading and unloading said materials. The materials can vary depending on what industry you're working in.

Materials aren't just shipped on a 9-5 schedule. The materials will arrive at any time of the day or night. So you may need to be prepared to work some overnight shifts. As a material handler, the only requirement to the job is being able to physically perform your job duties. So as long as you can do that, you won't have any problems handling material.

  • Average Salary: $33,215
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Picker And Packer

Role:

A packer works in a warehouse or distribution center, retrieving and organizing products to fulfill daily retail orders. They manage the inventory of the warehouse, package and label goods in preparation for shipping.

An appropriate rotation of products in a warehouse is essential, and packers see to it that this is maintained. They perform quality checks regularly, as well and report any problems they might come across. A clean warehouse is a safe warehouse, and packers are expected to live by this motto.

They use specific equipment to handle large products and to manage the large spaces of a warehouse. Forklifts, pallet wrappers, and dolly loaders are at their disposal, which they need to be able to operate safely and report any mechanical issues if they occur.

  • Average Salary: $30,841
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Sorter

Role:

So you want to start a career as a sorter. You've come to the right place. You've probably already gathered from the career title alone that the majority of what a sorter does is, well, sort things. The great thing about this job is the opportunities that follow.

There are factories all over the U.S. that are in need of sorters. Someone has to be able to sort items during the production process. But even more than that, you'll need to move those items to trucks that will deliver them to the right place.

So, as you can tell, this sorter job is serious business. Without you, how else would kids get the bike of their dreams for Christmas? Or how would paper towels make it into the homes of messy eaters? The short answer is that they wouldn't. And what a sad world it would be without you, a sorter.

  • Average Salary: $31,465
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Package Handler Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active package handler jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where package handlers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Package Handler Jobs By State

Package Handler Education

Package Handler Majors

23.0 %

Package Handler Degrees

High School Diploma

49.2 %

Bachelors

19.2 %

Associate

16.2 %

Top Skills For a Package Handler

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 24.9% of package handlers listed warehouse environment on their resume, but soft skills such as listening skills and physical stamina are important as well.

  • Warehouse Environment, 24.9%
  • Load Trailers, 10.0%
  • Delivery Truck, 8.6%
  • Safety Procedures, 8.6%
  • Load Packages, 7.5%
  • Other Skills, 40.4%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Package Handler Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Package Handler templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Package Handler resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Package Handler diversity

Package Handler Gender Distribution

Male
Male
74%
Female
Female
26%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among package handlers, 25.6% of them are women, while 74.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among package handlers is White, which makes up 55.9% of all package handlers.

  • The most common foreign language among package handlers is Spanish at 75.0%.

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Best States For a Package Handler

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a package handler. The best states for people in this position are Minnesota, Hawaii, Washington, and New York. Package handlers make the most in Minnesota with an average salary of $37,457. Whereas in Hawaii and Washington, they would average $37,411 and $35,753, respectively. While package handlers would only make an average of $35,532 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Minnesota

Total Package Handler Jobs: 466
Highest 10% Earn:
$47,000
Location Quotient:
1.23

2. Wisconsin

Total Package Handler Jobs: 478
Highest 10% Earn:
$43,000
Location Quotient:
1.52

3. Indiana

Total Package Handler Jobs: 585
Highest 10% Earn:
$43,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
Full List Of Best States For Package Handlers

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Top Package Handler Employers

Most Common Employers For Package Handler

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1United Service Technologies$39,943$19.20645
2UPS$39,391$18.9431,695
3Technicolor$35,975$17.30106
4Amazon$35,822$17.221,450
5US Post Office$34,349$16.51120
6Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco$34,026$16.3688
7ManpowerGroup$33,340$16.03202
8Spee-Dee Delivery$32,669$15.71140
9Ethan Allen HR Services$32,490$15.6298
10Pitney Bowes$32,089$15.4388

Package Handler Videos

Becoming a Package Handler FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Package Handler?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a package handler. That is the time it takes to learn specific package handler skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How Much Do Package Handlers Make A Year?

Package handlers make around $33,000 a year. This is equivalent to about $15 an hour and $2,600 a month.

This depends largely on experience level; however, more experienced package handlers make closer to $50,000 in a year.

How Much Does A Package Handler At Fedex Make?

A package handler at FedEx makes around $17 an hour. This comes to about $36,000 average annual salary.

This depends largely on experience level; however, more experienced package handlers at FedEx make up to $50,000 in a year.

How Much Does A Package Handler Make Per Hour?

A package handler makes around $15 an hour. But this hourly rate can range from $13 to $20 an hour, with the opportunity for overtime pay.

A package handler can make an additional $5,000 in overtime pay in a year, bringing the average salary for a package handler to about $35,000 to $40,000 annually.

Is Being A Package Handler At Fedex Hard?

Yes, being a package handler at FedEx can be hard. A package handler is a physically demanding job that also requires a significant amount of attention to detail and time management.

While being a package handler at FedEx is an extremely physically demanding job, it is not hard for people who are a good fit to adjust to the physical demands.

Is Being A Package Handler Easy?

No, being a package handler is not an easy role as it requires high levels of physical exertion and mental prowess. A package handler is a physically demanding job that also requires a significant amount of attention to detail and time management.

What Do Package Handlers Make At Ups?

A package handler makes around $16 an hour at UPS. But this hourly rate can range from $13 to $18 an hour, with the opportunity for overtime pay.

A package handler can make an additional $5,000 in overtime pay in a year, bringing the average salary for a package handler to about $35,000 to $40,000 annually.

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