Couriers and Messengers Salary
Office and Administrative Support Occupations · 69K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$39,200
Median hourly
$19
Average annual
$40,970
Typical range
$31,550–$50,330
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Couriers and Messengers is $39,200 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $19 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance..
Most earn between $31,550 and $50,330 a year. There are roughly 69K people employed as couriers and messengers in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Couriers and Messengers.
- Hourly
- $18.85
- Daily
- $151
- Weekly
- $754
- Bi-weekly
- $1,508
- Monthly
- $3,267
- Annual
- $39,200
$39,200 a year is around the 50th percentile for Couriers and Messengerss. The median is $39,200.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Nevada$46,520
- 2Washington$46,500
- 3Vermont$45,600
- 4District of Columbia$45,210
- 5Oregon$45,170
- 6Colorado$45,140
- 7California$44,970
- 8Minnesota$44,860
- 9Utah$42,840
- 10Massachusetts$42,380
- 11Alaska$41,720
- 12Maine$41,710
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$55,680
- 2Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$48,510
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$47,840
- 4Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$47,160
- 5Modesto, CA$47,020
- 6Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV$46,850
- 7Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA$46,710
- 8Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$46,170
- 9Napa, CA$46,060
- 10Rochester, MN$46,000
- 11Bellingham, WA$45,920
- 12Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$45,650
Related job titles
Employers advertise Couriers and Messengers roles under these titles.
Related occupations
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$60,550
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service$39,280
- Light Truck Drivers$44,860
- Postal Service Clerks$62,130
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$58,470
- Driver/Sales Workers$38,770
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$50,340
What a Couriers and Messengers does
- Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.
- Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages.
- Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person.
- Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods.
- Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route.
- Plan and follow the most efficient routes for delivering goods.
- Perform routine maintenance on delivery vehicles, such as monitoring fluid levels and replenishing fuel.
- Deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Couriers and Messengers make?
- The median annual wage for Couriers and Messengers is $39,200 ($19 per hour). Pay ranges from about $31,550 at the 10th percentile to $50,330 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Couriers and Messengers?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $40,970, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Couriers and Messengerss the most?
- Nevada has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $46,520.
- Is Couriers and Messengers a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 69K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Couriers and Messengers do?
- Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.; Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages.; Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person..