Postal carrier vs route carrier

The differences between postal carriers and route carriers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a route carrier has an average salary of $37,724, which is higher than the $36,502 average annual salary of a postal carrier.

The top three skills for a postal carrier include delivery sequence, customer service and mail delivery. The most important skills for a route carrier are newspapers, delivery sequence, and delivery route.

Postal carrier vs route carrier overview

	Postal Carrier	Route Carrier
Yearly salary	$36,502	$37,724
Hourly rate	$17.55	$18.14
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	16,224	22,260
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	-	-

Postal carrier vs route carrier salary

Postal carriers and route carriers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Postal Carrier	Route Carrier
Average salary	$36,502	$37,724
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $61,000	Between $16,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between postal carrier and route carrier education

There are a few differences between a postal carrier and a route carrier in terms of educational background:

	Postal Carrier	Route Carrier
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Postal carrier vs route carrier demographics

Here are the differences between postal carriers' and route carriers' demographics:

	Postal Carrier	Route Carrier
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%	Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between postal carrier and route carrier duties and responsibilities

Postal carrier example responsibilities.

Manage problems, conduct RCA investigations and deliver completed documentation.
Attend bid openings for prospective construction projects and prepared/draft construction contracts in accordance with RCA policies/procedures.
Pass testing requirements including speed and accuracy in memorization as well as organizational skills.

Route carrier example responsibilities.

Supervise and direct military and civilian personnel in the performance of daily supply logistics support functions.
Learned federal mail organization system and relate processes.

Postal carrier vs route carrier skills

Common postal carrier skills

Delivery Sequence, 29%
Customer Service, 28%
Mail Delivery, 8%
COD, 6%
Postal Service, 5%
Necessary Paperwork, 4%

Common route carrier skills

Newspapers, 54%
Delivery Sequence, 41%
Delivery Route, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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