Cargo and Freight Agents
Median $52,260
Occupation · SOC 43-5021
Couriers and Messengers: pay and where the jobs are
What couriers and messengers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$39,200 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $40,970
- Median hourly wage
- $18.85
- Mean hourly wage
- $19.70
- Employment
- 68,640
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5021.
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See where your pay falls among couriers and messengers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do couriers and messengers make?
The median annual wage for couriers and messengers was $39,200 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,550 and the highest-paid 10% more than $50,330. As an hourly rate, the median is $18.85. About 68,640 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Nevada ($46,520), Washington ($46,500) and Vermont ($45,600). Nevada also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for couriers and messengers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,550 | $15.17 | $2,629 | $2,294 |
| 25th percentile | $36,070 | $17.34 | $3,006 | $2,597 |
| Median | $39,200 | $18.85 | $3,267 | $2,806 |
| 75th percentile | $45,280 | $21.77 | $3,773 | $3,214 |
| 90th percentile | $50,330 | $24.20 | $4,194 | $3,552 |
Couriers and Messengers: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$39,567 take-home in national prices
2
$38,512 take-home in national prices
3
$37,927 take-home in national prices
Where a median couriers and messenger paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 530 | $46,520 | $31,700 | $49,980 | $39,559 | $39,567 |
| Washington | 1,190 | $46,500 | $38,380 | $55,370 | $38,898 | $36,349 |
| Vermont | 50 | $45,600 | $36,190 | $46,140 | $37,726 | $38,512 |
| District of Columbia | 120 | $45,210 | $37,930 | $55,540 | $36,960 | $33,630 |
| Oregon | 850 | $45,170 | $35,110 | $58,960 | $35,371 | $34,221 |
| Colorado | 640 | $45,140 | $30,890 | $60,330 | $36,974 | $35,879 |
| California | 7,240 | $44,970 | $36,200 | $57,360 | $36,947 | $33,370 |
| Minnesota | 440 | $44,860 | $36,640 | $58,480 | $36,446 | $36,956 |
| Utah | 850 | $42,840 | $36,730 | $47,560 | $35,341 | $35,748 |
| Massachusetts | 1,560 | $42,380 | $35,560 | $56,510 | $34,138 | $32,280 |
| Alaska | 160 | $41,720 | $37,100 | $48,180 | $35,493 | $34,675 |
| Maine | 40 | $41,710 | $38,020 | $48,770 | $34,284 | $35,326 |
| Missouri | 1,060 | $41,410 | $33,560 | $47,950 | $34,444 | $37,927 |
| New Jersey | 2,100 | $40,870 | $34,150 | $51,590 | $33,961 | $31,212 |
| New Hampshire | 190 | $40,630 | $26,350 | $53,980 | $34,826 | $33,434 |
| Tennessee | Not published | $40,270 | $33,360 | $46,940 | $34,537 | $37,593 |
| Montana | 60 | $40,080 | $27,040 | $50,500 | $33,257 | $35,139 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,330 | $39,700 | $30,520 | $48,950 | $32,832 | $33,649 |
| Connecticut | 650 | $39,480 | $35,300 | $54,980 | $32,403 | $31,274 |
| Georgia | 2,100 | $39,400 | $29,340 | $47,900 | $32,620 | $33,876 |
| Texas | 4,710 | $39,260 | $30,900 | $49,490 | $33,725 | $34,748 |
| Maryland | 770 | $39,140 | $33,850 | $49,850 | $32,136 | $30,618 |
| Illinois | 1,340 | $39,100 | $32,520 | $47,550 | $31,806 | $31,820 |
| North Carolina | 3,350 | $39,100 | $28,120 | $47,280 | $32,545 | $34,503 |
| Arizona | 820 | $38,980 | $31,200 | $46,330 | $32,920 | $32,698 |
| Oklahoma | 1,220 | $38,910 | $29,470 | $44,170 | $32,239 | $36,700 |
| Delaware | 170 | $38,760 | $33,960 | $46,810 | $31,694 | $31,755 |
| New York | 7,320 | $38,740 | $35,190 | $56,840 | $31,614 | $29,294 |
| Hawaii | 270 | $38,580 | $36,410 | $45,250 | $31,757 | $28,883 |
| New Mexico | 400 | $38,570 | $28,310 | $43,240 | $32,480 | $35,223 |
| Iowa | 580 | $38,460 | $32,180 | $42,840 | $32,273 | $36,773 |
| Kansas | 580 | $38,370 | $28,210 | $48,000 | $31,669 | $35,161 |
| Ohio | 1,710 | $38,320 | $31,200 | $44,860 | $32,367 | $34,888 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $38,090 | $31,740 | $48,150 | $32,785 | $36,854 |
| Michigan | 1,500 | $37,940 | $30,830 | $45,420 | $31,303 | $32,534 |
| Virginia | 2,010 | $37,820 | $31,180 | $54,910 | $31,208 | $30,867 |
| Florida | 4,910 | $37,740 | $31,100 | $46,270 | $32,504 | $31,431 |
| Indiana | 990 | $37,270 | $31,640 | $50,910 | $31,056 | $33,276 |
| Arkansas | 300 | $37,070 | $27,600 | $43,690 | $31,082 | $35,752 |
| Wisconsin | 2,560 | $36,910 | $29,770 | $45,960 | $30,906 | $32,845 |
| Rhode Island | 160 | $36,810 | $31,200 | $47,290 | $30,588 | $29,907 |
| South Carolina | 1,380 | $36,710 | $25,000 | $46,040 | $31,244 | $33,328 |
| Idaho | 410 | $36,110 | $26,150 | $45,660 | $30,389 | $31,823 |
| Kentucky | 750 | $35,880 | $25,580 | $42,390 | $29,871 | $33,132 |
| Mississippi | 590 | $35,780 | $25,700 | $42,550 | $30,230 | $34,766 |
| West Virginia | 240 | $34,890 | $29,640 | $39,440 | $29,332 | $32,775 |
| Alabama | 720 | $34,820 | $27,020 | $45,230 | $28,759 | $32,378 |
| Nebraska | 470 | $34,600 | $28,790 | $46,420 | $29,286 | $32,503 |
| Louisiana | 1,030 | $33,490 | $22,980 | $44,630 | $28,471 | $32,277 |
| Wyoming | 70 | $31,680 | $23,000 | $57,510 | $27,635 | $29,814 |
| South Dakota | 80 | $31,650 | $30,260 | $40,910 | $27,611 | $31,168 |
| Guam | 90 | $26,400 | $22,010 | $34,750 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 2,910 | $23,160 | $21,840 | $30,070 | — | — |
| Virgin Islands | 30 | $21,840 | $21,840 | $34,170 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.