Couriers and Messengers
What Couriers and Messengers Do
Pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 70.2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.8/5
- Transportationimportance 3.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.4/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.3/5
- Geographyimportance 2.2/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 2.1/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 1.9/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Time Pressure4.7/5
- Contact With Others4.7/5
- E-Mail4.4/5
Related Careers
- Postal Service Mail Carriers
- Light Truck Drivers
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
- Postal Service Clerks
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
- Driver/Sales Workers
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where couriers and messengers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR7.52× national avg
- 2Ponce, PR7.45× national avg
- 3Arecibo, PR6.47× national avg
- 4Burlington, NC5.95× national avg
- 5Mayaguez, PR5.29× national avg