How To Become A Rural Carrier Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rural carrier associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A rural carrier associate is tasked with picking up and delivering mail, packages, or parcels within a specified rural area. He/She ensures that clients receive their packages on time. To do this, he/she collaborates with logistics managers to deliver packages. Aside from that, he/she communicates with clients and acquires their signature upon package delivery. Also, he/she maintains the company vehicle by performing regular maintenance checks. The job sometimes includes lifting heavy loads; hence, the carrier must be physically fit.

The minimum educational requirement is a high school diploma, or its equivalent is required. Applicants must pass a civil service test before they can be hired. Prior experience in a delivery or customer service role is also beneficial. Plus, you must possess organization, communication, time management, and computer skills. You will also need a valid driver's license. If your employer wants, you may be required to wear a uniform provided by them.

The average gross salary for a rural carrier associate is $38,343, which falls between the range of $31,000 and $48,000.

ScoreRural Carrier AssociateUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,259

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate -6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 6.45%

Black or African American 11.92%

Hispanic or Latino 16.32%

Unknown 4.08%

White 60.69%

Gender

female 61.39%

male 38.61%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rural carrier associate

Explore rural carrier associate education requirements

Most common rural carrier associate degrees

Bachelor's

28.8 %

Associate

26.7 %

High School Diploma

25.6 %

Start to develop specific rural carrier associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Delivery Sequence	19.95%
RCA	18.75%
Customer Service	17.35%
Mail Security	10.23%
Postal Service	5.66%

Complete relevant rural carrier associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rural carrier associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a rural carrier associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rural carrier associate resumes.

Research rural carrier associate duties and responsibilities

Manage problems, conduct RCA investigations and deliver completed documentation.
Map appropriate routes using GPS and standard maps.
Complete forms, coding memorization, address memorization.
Skil at memorization, orderliness, and time management

Prepare your rural carrier associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your rural carrier associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a rural carrier associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable rural carrier associate resume templates

Build a professional rural carrier associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your rural carrier associate resume.