Postmasters and Mail Superintendents: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Management · SOC 11-9131 · O*NET 11-9131.00
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.
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents fall under the Management category in the U.S. occupational classification. Postmasters and Mail Superintendents earn a median salary of $92,730 per year, ranking in the top 17% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -3.5% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do postmasters and mail superintendents earn?
The median annual wage for postmasters and mail superintendents is $92,730. That puts postmasters and mail superintendents at #138 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $81,430 |
| 25th percentile | $87,150 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $92,730 |
| 75th percentile | $99,590 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $109,140 |
| Median hourly wage | $44.58/hr |
Is postmasters and mail superintendents a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for postmasters and mail superintendents is -3.5%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 13K positions in 2024 to 12K in 2034, a net change of -1K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do postmasters and mail superintendents do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working postmasters and mail superintendents, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Prepare employee work schedules.
- 2.Monitor employees' work schedules and attendance for payroll purposes.
- 3.Resolve customer complaints.
- 4.Negotiate labor disputes.
- 5.Direct and coordinate operational, management, and supportive services of one or a number of postal facilities.
- 6.Hire and train employees, and evaluate their performance.
- 7.Organize and supervise activities, such as the processing of incoming and outgoing mail.
- 8.Prepare and submit detailed and summary reports of post office activities to designated supervisors.
Top skills for postmasters and mail superintendents
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become postmasters and mail superintendent?
The standard path into postmasters and mail superintendents begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about postmasters and mail superintendents
What is the median salary for postmasters and mail superintendents?
The median annual salary for postmasters and mail superintendents is $92,730 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is postmasters and mail superintendents a growing career?
BLS projects -3.5% growth for postmasters and mail superintendents from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become postmasters and mail superintendent?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to postmasters and mail superintendents?
Related occupations within the Management category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.