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Job title · SOC 11-9131

Postmaster / Supervisor

Also known as: postmaster

01

Overview

Sourced

Plan, direct, or coordinate operational, administrative, management, and support services of a U.S. post office; or coordinate activities of workers engaged in postal and related work in assigned post office.

O*NET definition of Postmasters and Mail Superintendents (SOC 11-9131) · Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed.

13,810
in government (SOC 11-9131)
—
of this occupation works for government
$96,660
median pay in government
Federal
levels of government

Titles employers use

Distribution Operation Supervisor (SDO)Distribution Operations ManagerPostmasterRemote Encoding Center ManagerDelivery SupervisorDistribution Operations SupervisorMail Delivery SupervisorPostal SupervisorPostmaster Relief (PMR)Remote Encoding Operations Supervisor
How people usually get in Editorial
promotion within USPS (EAS grades). Requirements vary by employer; each employer page will list its exact rules.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership; U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database; GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial). Data captured September 30, 2026.

02

Requirements

Sourced
Typical entry requirements (BLS, SOC 11-9131)
Education needed to enter
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Education workers say the job requires

High School Diploma or the equivalent
62%
Post-Secondary Certificate
7%
Some College Courses
11%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
7%
Bachelor's Degree
13%

Share of surveyed workers in Postmasters and Mail Superintendents (SOC 11-9131) naming each level as required to be hired, 29 respondents, O*NET survey July 2016. Each employer sets its own minimum.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4); U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

04

Academy and training

Sourced
Training to become competent (BLS)
SOC 11-9131
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Preparation level (O*NET)
Job zone
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Academy length, curriculum and paid-training policies are set by each employer and state; they are part of the employer collection stage.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

06

Promotion ladder

Editorial

Postal craft schedule: USPS craft schedules (CCA/PSE → career; grade × step). Typical structure for a usps craft employees; titles, steps and timing differ by employer.

  1. Non-career (CCA / PSE / MHA / RCA)
  2. Career conversion
  3. Craft grade × step (e.g. city carrier steps A–P)
  4. 204b acting supervisor
  5. Supervisor (EAS)
  6. Postmaster / Manager

Source: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial).

07

Pay

Sourced
Federal
$96,660
State
Not published
Local
Not published
All government
$96,660
Private sector
Not published

Median annual wage by employer type, national, May 2025. Federal includes the U.S. Postal Service; state and local include public schools and hospitals.

Employer typeWorkers10th pct.25thMedian75th90th
Federal13,810$85,090$90,650$96,660$102,960$111,740
All government13,810$85,090$90,650$96,660$102,960$111,740

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

08

Schedule

Sourced
Work schedule
Regular
86%
Irregular
14%
Seasonal
0%
Typical work week
Less than 40 hours
0%
40 hours
33%
More than 40 hours
67%

Share of surveyed workers in the occupation (O*NET work context, July 2016). Shift patterns and differentials depend on the employer.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

12

Day-to-day work

Sourced
  1. Monitor employees' work schedules and attendance for payroll purposes.4.7
  2. Organize and supervise activities, such as the processing of incoming and outgoing mail.4.7
  3. Resolve customer complaints.4.5
  4. Prepare employee work schedules.4.5
  5. Direct and coordinate operational, management, and supportive services of one or a number of postal facilities.4.5
  6. Hire and train employees, and evaluate their performance.4.4
  7. Prepare and submit detailed and summary reports of post office activities to designated supervisors.4.3
  8. Negotiate labor disputes.3.8

The 8 most important of 8 core tasks for Postmasters and Mail Superintendents, ranked by importance (1–5) in the O*NET survey of July 2016.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database. Data captured September 30, 2026.

13Derived
USPS City Carrier (Mail Carrier)
Same job family
USPS Mail Handler / Mail Processing Clerk
Same job family
USPS Postal Clerk (window/distribution)
Same job family
USPS Rural Carrier
Same job family
16

By state

Sourced

Median annual wage for Postmasters and Mail Superintendents (SOC 11-9131) in each state, all employers (BLS state estimates do not separate government from private). Highest first.

StateWorkers10th pct.Median90th pct.
Florida350$90,650$102,880$126,940
California800$85,570$101,150$122,930
New Jersey440$89,270$101,100$117,040
Rhode Island40$89,880$99,900$117,120
Tennessee260$90,380$99,170$111,740
Hawaii60$85,090$99,070$117,120
Arizona150$75,050$99,050$120,680
South Carolina210$89,770$98,940$115,070
Indiana290$89,690$98,680$112,220
Kentucky240$89,770$98,570$111,740
Utah110$74,550$98,570$111,740
Delaware40$89,770$98,550$115,940
Arkansas180$89,770$97,880$111,740
Connecticut160$88,050$97,880$114,650
Michigan450$89,630$97,790$111,740
Ohio510$89,770$97,680$111,610
New York830$88,920$97,640$111,860
Texas820$87,110$97,550$112,800
Pennsylvania800$85,970$97,530$111,740
Georgia340$87,900$97,050$111,740
Massachusetts330$85,720$96,870$114,730
Wisconsin340$87,510$96,810$111,680
Louisiana250$87,190$96,550$110,990
North Carolina480$87,400$96,410$111,740
West Virginia180$86,010$96,260$109,030
Oklahoma240$88,250$96,080$110,360
Alabama280$87,710$95,740$111,740
Missouri300$87,090$95,680$108,310
Washington280$78,670$95,430$116,080
Mississippi190$87,170$95,270$111,740
Illinois510$85,280$94,970$110,550
Maryland230$86,780$94,890$108,520
Virginia370$86,280$94,790$110,570
Nebraska150$85,090$94,040$102,960
Oregon220$69,060$93,180$106,850
Iowa260$85,090$93,160$102,960
Kansas190$85,090$93,080$102,960
Colorado200$72,090$93,000$109,740
Maine180$79,960$93,000$104,330
New Hampshire160$84,120$92,980$107,350
Idaho130$72,800$92,820$111,180
Minnesota320$85,090$92,410$102,960
South Dakota100$71,720$91,540$107,720
New Mexico140$60,490$91,500$111,130
North Dakota90$59,110$91,040$102,960
Vermont120$85,090$89,890$101,050
Nevada70$50,270$89,770$116,600
Montana170$51,360$88,920$102,960
Wyoming80$50,880$88,040$101,150
Alaska170$51,330$59,340$99,420

50 states with published estimates.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Not yet collected

These dimensions are part of every job page. We publish them only once they are sourced from official documents such as job postings, pay plans, union contracts and state standards.

  • 03 Hiring process
    Ordered steps + typical timeline: application, written test (named), physical test (named), oral board, background, polygraph, psych, medical, eligibility list
    Not yet collected
  • 05 Probation
    Probation length and what ends it
    Not yet collected
  • 09 Benefits and pension
    Pension plan/tier and formula, retirement age/years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b), PSLF eligibility
    Not yet collected
  • 10 Union contracts
    Bargaining unit, union, current CBA (source link, effective dates)
    Not yet collected
  • 11 Transfers and lateral entry
    Lateral policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonus, inter-agency moves
    Not yet collected
  • 14 Exam practice
    Named exams → OpenExamPrep practice
    Not yet collected
  • 15 Employer directory
    L4 directory: every employer that hires this job, each with its own facet values
    Not yet collected