Couriers and Messengers pay in the U.S.
$40,970avg. a year
$19.70 an hour · 68,640 employed
Couriers and Messengers in the U.S. earn an average of $40,970 a year and a median of $39,200. Pay is highest in Washington ($47,020) and lowest in Louisiana ($33,900).
$39,200Median pay
$19.70Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
68,640Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for couriers and messengers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,190 jobs
Washington
$47,020
$22.61 an hour
2120 jobs
District of Columbia
$46,650
$22.43 an hour
37,240 jobs
California
$45,870
$22.05 an hour
4440 jobs
Minnesota
$45,710
$21.98 an hour
5640 jobs
Colorado
$45,700
$21.97 an hour
6850 jobs
Oregon
$45,440
$21.85 an hour
71,560 jobs
Massachusetts
$44,040
$21.18 an hour
87,320 jobs
New York
$43,750
$21.03 an hour
950 jobs
Vermont
$43,570
$20.95 an hour
10530 jobs
Nevada
$43,230
$20.79 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Couriers and Messengers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $37k$37k–$40k$40k–$43k$43k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $55,350 | $26.61 |
| Modesto, CA | $51,800 | $24.90 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,400 | $23.75 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $48,970 | $23.54 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $48,110 | $23.13 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $47,730 | $22.95 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $47,310 | $22.74 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,060 | $22.63 |
Related jobs
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$46,810
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$62,150
- Postal Service Mail Carriers$62,540
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$54,740
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$59,430
- Public Safety Telecommunicators$56,740
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Couriers and Messengers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $35,430 | $34,820 | 720 |
| Alaska | $42,480 | $41,720 | 160 |
| Arizona | $39,950 | $38,980 | 820 |
| Arkansas | $36,770 | $37,070 | 300 |
| California | $45,870 | $44,970 | 7,240 |
| Colorado | $45,700 | $45,140 | 640 |
| Connecticut | $42,890 | $39,480 | 650 |
| Delaware | $38,920 | $38,760 | 170 |
| District of Columbia | $46,650 | $45,210 | 120 |
| Florida | $38,510 | $37,740 | 4,910 |
| Georgia | $39,780 | $39,400 | 2,100 |
| Hawaii | $40,160 | $38,580 | 270 |
| Idaho | $36,730 | $36,110 | 410 |
| Illinois | $40,880 | $39,100 | 1,340 |
| Indiana | $39,330 | $37,270 | 990 |
| Iowa | $38,460 | $38,460 | 580 |
| Kansas | $38,830 | $38,370 | 580 |
| Kentucky | $34,560 | $35,880 | 750 |
| Louisiana | $33,900 | $33,490 | 1,030 |
| Maine | $42,670 | $41,710 | 40 |
| Maryland | $41,210 | $39,140 | 770 |
| Massachusetts | $44,040 | $42,380 | 1,560 |
| Michigan | $38,400 | $37,940 | 1,500 |
| Minnesota | $45,710 | $44,860 | 440 |
| Mississippi | $35,040 | $35,780 | 590 |
| Missouri | $40,990 | $41,410 | 1,060 |
| Montana | $39,650 | $40,080 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $36,700 | $34,600 | 470 |
| Nevada | $43,230 | $46,520 | 530 |
| New Hampshire | $41,770 | $40,630 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $42,600 | $40,870 | 2,100 |
| New Mexico | $37,120 | $38,570 | 400 |
| New York | $43,750 | $38,740 | 7,320 |
| North Carolina | $38,830 | $39,100 | 3,350 |
| North Dakota | $41,120 | $38,090 | 40 |
| Ohio | $38,520 | $38,320 | 1,710 |
| Oklahoma | $38,720 | $38,910 | 1,220 |
| Oregon | $45,440 | $45,170 | 850 |
| Pennsylvania | $40,680 | $39,700 | 3,330 |
| Rhode Island | $37,020 | $36,810 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $35,790 | $36,710 | 1,380 |
| South Dakota | $34,170 | $31,650 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $40,460 | $40,270 | – |
| Texas | $40,490 | $39,260 | 4,710 |
| Utah | $42,570 | $42,840 | 850 |
| Vermont | $43,570 | $45,600 | 50 |
| Virginia | $41,330 | $37,820 | 2,010 |
| Washington | $47,020 | $46,500 | 1,190 |
| West Virginia | $34,800 | $34,890 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $38,550 | $36,910 | 2,560 |
| Wyoming | $36,100 | $31,680 | 70 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$45,120
6,690 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$44,970
3,030 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$38,600
1,770 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$42,490
1,530 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$42,160
1,400 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$41,930
1,380 jobsNashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$42,280
1,360 jobsCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$40,040
1,100 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do couriers and messengers make?
The average is $40,970 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $39,200 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $19.70, and the median is $18.85 an hour.
Which state pays couriers and messengers the most?
Washington, with an average of $47,020 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $55,350.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $31,550 a year, and the top 10% earn over $50,330.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-5021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.