Couriers and Messengers build time management, service orientation and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Baggage Porters and Bellhops (86%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baggage Porters and Bellhops | 86% | $37,080 | −5% | None |
| 2 | Driver/Sales Workers | 86% | $38,770 | −1% | None |
| 3 | Light Truck Drivers | 86% | $44,860 | +14% | None |
| 4 | Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service | 83% | $39,280 | 0% | None |
| 5 | Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs | 80% | $37,290 | −5% | None |
| 6 | Parking Attendants | 80% | $35,150 | −10% | None |
| 7 | Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity | 78% | $59,050 | +51% | None |
| 8 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 78% | $78,000 | +99% | None |
| 9 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 76% | $58,170 | +48% | None |
| 10 | Funeral Attendants | 76% | $35,680 | −9% | None |
Compared with Couriers and Messengers, median $39,200. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as couriers and messengers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
86% skill match · $37,080 · −5% pay
Service Orientation · Instructing · Repairing
86% skill match · $38,770 · −1% pay
Negotiation · Persuasion · Complex Problem Solving
86% skill match · $44,860 · +14% pay
Repairing · Equipment Selection · Equipment Maintenance
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Baggage Porters and Bellhops (86% skill match, median $37,080), Driver/Sales Workers (86% skill match, median $38,770) and Light Truck Drivers (86% skill match, median $44,860), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 13 pay more than couriers and messengers at the median. The biggest increases: Subway and Streetcar Operators (+120%, $86,380), Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters (+99%, $78,000) and Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers (+76%, $68,840).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.