Sort mail for delivery. Deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot.
U.S. Workers
336,040
Median Salary
$57,490
10-Year Growth
-3.5%
Annual Openings
20,600
Typical entry: No formal educational credential
19 of 22 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Scan labels on letters or parcels to confirm receipt.
AI: Fully automatable - Label scanning to confirm receipt is already fully automatable with handheld/automatic scanners and AI back-end processing for confirmation and logging.
Sort mail for delivery, arranging it in delivery sequence.
AI: Fully automatable - Mail sortation and arranging delivery sequence can be fully automated using high-speed sorting machines and route-optimization software integrated with downstream systems.
Register, certify, and insure parcels and letters.
AI: Fully automatable - Registering, certifying, and insuring shipments are largely administrative and can be fully automated for issuance, recordkeeping, and label generation in current systems.
Enter change of address orders into computers that process forwarding address stickers.
AI: Fully automatable - This is structured data entry that RPA and OCR systems can fully automate by reading change-of-address forms and updating forwarding databases.
Maintain accurate records of deliveries.
AI: Fully automatable - Accurate delivery records can be fully automated today with GPS, barcode/RFID scans, and integrated databases for near-complete digital logging.
Record address changes and redirect mail for those addresses.
AI: Fully automatable - Recording address changes and updating routing/forwarding instructions can be fully automated within postal IT systems and sorting workflows.
Answer customers' questions about postal services and regulations.
AI: Fully automatable - AI-driven chatbots and knowledge systems can handle the vast majority of customer questions about services and regulations accurately and at scale.
Complete forms that notify publishers of address changes.
AI: Fully automatable - Completing publisher notification forms is routine data processing that AI can perform end-to-end given the address-change inputs.
Provide customers with change of address cards and other forms.
AI: Fully automatable - Providing change-of-address cards and forms can be fully automated via kiosks, web/mobile self-service, and automated dispensers or print-on-demand systems.
Obtain signed receipts for registered, certified, and insured mail, collect associated charges, and complete any necessary paperwork.
AI: Partial - AI can automate paperwork, calculations, and payment processing for registered/certified/insured mail but cannot physically obtain wet signatures from recipients in all cases.
Meet schedules for the collection and return of mail.
AI: Partial - AI can optimize, schedule, and monitor collection/return times and alert personnel, but it cannot by itself physically ensure schedules are met.
Sign for cash-on-delivery and registered mail before leaving the post office.
AI: Partial - Recording custody (signing for COD and registered mail) can be partly automated with electronic logs and badge scans, but physical authorization/signature requirements limit full automation.
Hold mail for customers who are away from delivery locations.
AI: Partial - AI can process and approve hold-mail requests and update systems automatically, but the physical custody and storage of held mail still require human/physical infrastructure.
Turn in money and receipts collected along mail routes.
AI: Partial - AI can reconcile receipts, generate records, and automate deposit workflows, but the secure physical handling and deposit of cash remain human tasks.
Leave notices telling patrons where to collect mail that could not be delivered.
AI: Partial - AI can automatically generate and notify patrons via digital channels where to collect undelivered mail, but physically leaving paper notices at addresses requires a person or a delivery mechanism.
Bundle mail in preparation for delivery or transportation to relay boxes.
AI: Partial - Automated sorting systems can assist, but on-route bundling and small-scale physical organization of mail bundles still rely on manual labor.
Return incorrectly addressed mail to senders.
AI: Partial - AI can identify undeliverable items and generate return labels or routing instructions, but physically returning mail to senders involves manual handling and transportation.
Sell stamps and money orders.
AI: Partial - Self-service kiosks and online systems can handle most stamp and simple money-order sales, but complex transactions, identity checks, and cash handling still often require humans.
Report any unusual circumstances concerning mail delivery, including the condition of street letter boxes.
AI: Partial - AI can detect and flag anomalies (via sensors/camera data) and auto-report them, but nuanced judgement and on-site inspection for unusual circumstances still often require humans.
Return to the post office with mail collected from homes, businesses, and public mailboxes.
AI: Not automatable - Returning collected mail to the post office is a physical transport task that cannot be broadly automated by AI alone as of 2025.
Deliver mail to residences and business establishments along specified routes by walking or driving, using a combination of satchels, carts, cars, and small trucks.
AI: Not automatable - Door-to-door delivery by walking or driving is a predominantly physical activity that AI cannot fully perform at scale in 2025.
Travel to post offices to pick up the mail for routes or pick up mail from postal relay boxes.
AI: Not automatable - Requires physical travel and vehicle operation which cannot be performed by AI alone as of 2025.