Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
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.
Also called: Delivery Supervisor, Distribution Operation Supervisor (SDO), Distribution Operations Manager, Distribution Operations Supervisor, Mail Delivery Supervisor, Mail Superintendent
Median pay
$96,660
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$85,090 – $111,740
People employed
13,810
Holland code
ECS
Enterprising · Conventional · Social
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you work well under tight deadlines?
- 2.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 3.Are you happy talking and working with people most of the day?
- 4.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 5.Are you OK working more than 40 hours a week?
- 6.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
- Dealing with conflict is part of the job
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents salary in every state →
What postmasters and mail superintendents do
- 01Monitor employees' work schedules and attendance for payroll purposes.
- 02Organize and supervise activities, such as the processing of incoming and outgoing mail.
- 03Resolve customer complaints.
- 04Prepare employee work schedules.
- 05Direct and coordinate operational, management, and supportive services of one or a number of postal facilities.
- 06Hire and train employees, and evaluate their performance.
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Learning Strategies
Knowledge
- Administration and Management
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Leadership Orientation
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: over 1 month, up to and including 3 months.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from postmasters and mail superintendents
- Administrative Services Managers89% · +18%
- General and Operations Managers79% · +9%
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers78% · +11%
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers78% · −28%
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers75% · −9%
Change into postmasters and mail superintendents
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Postal Service Clerks82% · $62,130
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers81% · $69,500
- Order Clerks81% · $46,170
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers80% · $48,520
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance79% · $50,340
Majors that lead here
- Public Administration
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.