Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time postal workers, mail sorters and messengers in the UK earned a median £31,677 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 19% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That puts it 250th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
Pay is tightly bunched, from £24,687 at the 10th percentile to £41,817 at the 90th.
Median full-time pay: women £30,367 a year, men £31,909 a year.
About 73% of the roughly 131,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 15.9%, from £27,342, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 111,200 people in this line of work, 13% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,687 | £442.60 | £12.55 | £17,256 | £308.20 | £12.54 |
| 20th percentile | £27,708 | £496.00 | £13.67 | £23,342 | £397.60 | £13.02 |
| 25th percentile | £28,292 | £519.00 | £14.14 | £24,601 | £433.40 | £13.92 |
| 30th percentile | £28,749 | £534.50 | £14.32 | £26,189 | £453.20 | £14.26 |
| 40th percentile | £30,073 | £540.50 | £14.45 | £28,332 | £516.50 | £14.45 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £31,677 | £561.30 | £14.54 | £29,761 | £534.50 | £14.46 |
| 60th percentile | £33,305 | £603.50 | £14.92 | £31,403 | £556.90 | £14.85 |
| 70th percentile | £35,237 | £638.40 | £15.62 | £33,520 | £612.40 | £15.43 |
| 75th percentile | £36,381 | £655.10 | £16.30 | £34,771 | £631.80 | £16.05 |
| 80th percentile | £37,727 | £679.50 | £16.91 | £36,127 | £654.00 | £16.69 |
| 90th percentile | £41,817 | £765.70 | £18.13 | £40,203 | £737.00 | £17.92 |
| Mean | £32,585 | £593.90 | £15.26 | £29,381 | £529.70 | £15.17 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £27,342 | £527.90 | £13.23 | £26,082 | £502.30 | 153 |
| 2022 revised | £29,058 | £533.50 | £13.43 | £27,605 | £503.70 | 143 |
| 2023 revised | £28,459 | £597.00 | £14.42 | £26,619 | £550.00 | 125 |
| 2024 revised | £33,582 | £583.50 | £14.72 | £31,770 | £549.40 | 120 |
| 2025 provisional | £31,677 | £561.30 | £14.54 | £29,761 | £534.50 | 131 |
Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers by region
UK: 111,200 (± 12,900), April 2025 to March 2026. 7 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 14,900* | ± 4,800 |
| South West | 14,000* | ± 4,300 |
| North West | 12,700* | ± 4,300 |
| Scotland | 8,900* | ± 3,400 |
| Wales | 5,500* | ± 2,100 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What postal workers, mail sorters and messengers do
Postal workers, mail sorters and messengers collect, receive, sort and deliver mail, documents, correspondence or messages, either between or within establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 9211)
Also covers: leaflet distributor, mail sorter, messenger, paper boy, paper girl, postman, postwoman, allowance deliverer, assistant inspector, chief messenger, circular distributor, collection driver, controlling officer, copy taker, dispatch rider, head messenger, head postman and head postwoman (79 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Collects and may x-ray mail from post boxes, receives parcels, and collects correspondence, documents and other material from individuals, offices or other establishments
- Sorts mail, parcels and other incoming and outgoing material for delivery, and maintains records of material received and despatched
- Delivers mail, parcels, correspondence and other materials to specified or agreed routes and schedules
- Completes delivery forms, collects charges, and issues receipts for the collection and delivery of registered or recorded mail and other items
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Entrants complete short induction courses followed by a programme of Off and on-the-job training.
Related
Elementary administration occupations (median £30,891) · Elementary administration occupations n.e.c. · Window cleaners · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026