SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-5053 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators — Abilene

Abilene, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$58,470 /year
$28.11per hour
80jobs in area
+0.0%vs US median

At $58,470, median pay for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in Abilene, TX tracks the national median of $58,470 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $58,47010TH$48,88025TH$55,350MEDIAN$58,47075TH$64,67090TH$71,470

How pay has moved

$61,688$42,3832019202020212022202320242025$58,470
$45,600 in 2019 to $58,470 in 2025, +28.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-8.4%
Openings per year
7,800
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Abilene, TX.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $58,470, median pay for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in Abilene, TX tracks the national median of $58,470 closely. Pay ranges from under $48,880 at the tenth percentile to more than $71,470 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $55,350 to $64,670.

The area has 80 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.50 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, McAllen records the highest median at $61,570. Of the 287 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 109th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Abilene, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$48,880−16.4%
25th$55,350−5.3%
Median (50th)$58,470+0.0%
75th$64,670+10.6%
90th$71,470+22.2%
Mean$60,060+2.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1McAllen$61,570100
2Amarillo$59,490120
3Corpus Christi$59,49070
4Austin$58,470560
5El Paso$58,470150
6San Antonio$58,470660
7Midland$57,95060
8Beaumont$57,80050
9Lubbock$57,800200
10Dallas$56,3903,850

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Abilene run 9.6% below the national average, so the median of $58,470 goes as far as $64,679 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 10.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$58,470as reported by BLS

Local price level

90.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,679US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $58,470 a year, 0.0% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $48,880 to $71,470 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 80 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is McAllen, at $61,570.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators in Abilene, TX?

The median annual wage is $58,470, or $28.11 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $58,470, so pay in Abilene, TX is 0.0% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Abilene, TX earns more than $71,470 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $48,880 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in McAllen, at $61,570 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 80 jobs in this occupation in Abilene, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.