Introduction
A mailroom is a center for incoming and outgoing mails. We will discuss Mailroom Clerk Salary here. It is a place where incoming mail, processing, sorting, arranging, and delivering are done. This place is found in schools, offices, complexes, various governmental departments, and general post offices. A mailroom is developed for the incoming and outgoing mail of the organization, wherein it operates as an internal mail system within the company and serves as a link with the external mail system. The incoming mail is received in the central mailroom. Then it is processed, sorted, and delivered to the concerned persons or departments for which it is being received. Mails are also sent outside the organization after proper scrutiny, numbering, stamping, proper packaging, and labeling, if required. The employees working in a mailroom are called postmaster(head), mailroom clerk, mail boy.
Mailroom Clerk
A mailroom clerk is an employee of the organization. He is responsible for the mails coming to the company as well as the mail going outside. He is to receive mails, process them, sort them as per the system of the organization to reach the mail at the proper place and proper time. So the basic work to be performed by a mail clerk is to handle the mailing system of the respective organization he is working in. The mailing system may be a simple one in small firms and businesses or maybe large, diversified, and more complex in large corporations, campuses, or government departments.
A mailroom clerk sorts mail with hands or may use sorting tools and machines as per the requirements. He operates various tools such as postage meters, mail sorting machines, scanners, folds and inserts machines, envelop openers, mail sealers, and labeling machines. He is to organize the mail system of the company as it’s his area of concern. He is subordinate to the head clerk or postmaster and superior to the mail boy in the hierarchy. It may be shown as follows:
A mailroom clerk also maintains mailing and shipping supplies, tapes, envelopes, stamps, labels, and checks on these inventories. They have to ensure the proper delivery to carriers for the outgoing mails. Sometimes they have to carry heavy packages for supply. Mailroom clerks fall under the category of information clerk in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics studies.
Role and Duties
A mailroom clerk basically performs the following duties:
- Receiving incoming mail: The basic work of a mailroom clerk is to receive emails from the organization. Receipt of mail also involves the acknowledgment of the receipt on behalf of the company.
- Sorting of mails: After receiving the incoming mail, his duty is to sort the mail according to the pattern followed in the organization. He may do so with hands, but with technology development, there are various applications for this work. Computer or sorting machines are used for this work.
- Processing of mail: He is responsible for the processing of the incoming as well as the outgoing mail through the mailing system. He is to feed all the information in the computer system of the company for the record.
- Delivering mail to the respected recipients: After sorting the mail, the mail clerk delivers the mail to the concerned recipients within the proper time. It should be done without any inconvenience.
- Handling, packaging, labeling of outgoing mail: A clerk is responsible for incoming mail and outgoing mail. His duties include sorting the mail according to the destinations, packaging, labeling, stamping, and make them ready for delivery.
- Delivering mail to concerned carriers: He is to contact the relevant carrier services for the proper and timely delivery of the mail.
- Shipment of mail and packages: He is also responsible for making outgoing mail packages for convenient shipment. Lifting heavy packages: sometimes, he has to carry or lift heavy packaging to receive and deliver the mail. He may be required to stand up for a long time.
- Tracking shipments/ orders: After the shipment’s departure, he is also to track that shipment. It is for avoiding any delay in reaching the mail to its destination.
- Take care of inventories such as envelopes, labels, tickets, etc., and ordering supplies: He is responsible for maintaining the proper stock of the boxes, tapes, labels, packages, etc. For the mail system.
- Operating various mailroom tools such as fax machines, postage meters, mail sorting machines, scanners, fold and insert machines, envelop openers, mail sealers, and labeling machines.
Education
Basically mailroom clerk is an entry-level job. So if you want to enter any particular field or industry, say legal, technical, medical, education, etc. You can choose this job to establish connections and to understand the working system of that industry. High school diploma Or A general education diploma (GED) is mostly required for this job. This job also requires training that you get on the job called on-job training. You will be working with an experienced clerk to learn from him the nature of work and the proper working of the duties.
Mailroom Clerk Salary
The salary of a mailroom clerk varies from company to company, industry standards, and the place of work.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics reports that the basic average salary of a mailroom clerk is $29,160 – $33,680 annually.
- Top ten percent average annual salary: $45,220 – $55,480
- Lower ten percent average annual salary – $19,110 – $20,720
- According to Glassdoor, the average national salary of a mailroom clerk is $32,233 annually, and in Los Angeles, CA, it is $36,000 per year.
- According to ZipRecruiter, a mailroom clerk earns:
- Highest as $40,000
- Lowest as $18,000
- According to salary.com, as of May 27, 2021, the average annual salary of a mailroom clerk is $33,866, and it typically ranges between $30,247 – $38,118 on average annually.
- According to erieri.com, the average annual salary of a mailroom clerk is $34,501 on an hourly basis, a mailroom clerk makes $14.04 an hour (according to payscale.com), and according to erieri.com, a mailroom clerk makes $17 an hour.
The average annual salary of a mailroom clerk can be shown as follow:
| Source | Average Annual Salary |
| The US Bureau of Labor Statistics | $29,160 – $33,680 |
| Glassdoor | $32,233 |
| ZipRecruiter | As high as $40,000As low as $18,000 |
| Salary.com | $39,835 as of May 27, 2021Range between $35,432 – $45,289 |
| Erieri.com | $34,501 |
| Source | Hourly Pay |
| Payscale.com | $14.04 an hour |
| Erieri.com | $17 an hour |
According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, mailroom clerks at the following locations are paid the highest. Here is the average annual salary:
| Locations | Salary |
| Columbia | $43,680 |
| Alaska | $36,930 |
| San Diego, CA | $36,547 |
| Los Angeles | $36,000 |
| Massachusetts | $35,800 |
According to indeed following are the top companies for mailroom clerks in The United States along with their pay:
| Companies | Pay |
| Liberty Mutual Insurance | $21.87 per hour |
| Compass Group | $21.30 per hour |
| Sodexo | $18.41 per hour |
| ABM Industries, Inc. | $18.33 per hour |
| Emory Healthcare | $18.29 per hour |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the basic educational qualifications required for the mailroom clerk?
It is an entry-level job, so for this job, educational qualifications are very basic. A high school diploma or general education diploma (GED) is sufficient.
- What are the skills required for a mailroom clerk?
With the basic education, a mailroom clerk must possess time management, organizational, communication skills. He is to make deliveries on time after checking up all the requirements or all the departments in a company. He should have the ability to prioritize and multi-tasking. Sometimes he has to carry heavy packages and stand for long hours.
- What kind of technology a mailroom clerk should know?
A mailroom clerk must have basic computer knowledge. The use of MS Office, Excel, Outlook. These tools are used for documentation, inventory information. He will be using mail system equipment such as sorting machines, scanners, fax as mentioned above in the article?
- What can be the schedule for the job of mailroom clerk?
The job of a mailroom clerk is a regular job, and the schedule is typically the usual standard business hours. Sometimes, they can be called earlier in the morning to ensure timely mail delivery being first thing in the morning.
- What is the growth expectations in the field of information clerks?
According to the US Bureau of Labour Studies, the job growth is only to be 3 percent in the 2016 – 2026 decade. This is less than half the 7 percent growth expected for all the jobs when combined. Due to the advancement of technology and the use of electronic media for the job, the need for clerks lessen.
- What is the average national salary?
According to Glassdoor, the average national salary for a mailroom clerk in the US is $32,233 annually. The detailed salary information is given in the above paragraphs.
- What are the other similar jobs to mailroom clerks?
The other similar jobs as compared to the mailroom clerk are:
- Bookkeeper Average Salary $39,240 Annually
- General Office Clerk: $31,500
- Medical Records and Health Information Technician: $39,180
So, a mailroom clerk is an entry-level job, which requires only basic qualifications of the diploma level. If you want to make foot in a particular industry to understand the nature of the work and work environment and make connections, you can go for this job as the start of your carrier. Mailroom clerks are paid well, but there are not many growth expectations in this industry. You should review various resources before going for this job. It helps choose a career.
Following are some resources for your help:
- Association of Colleges & University Mail Services (ACUMS)
- Mail System Management Association
- Mail Clerk (Passbook)
- U.S. Mail Supply
- Mail Clerk & Mail Machine Operator Career (Special Edition) – short book guide
Recent Job Openings
- Mailroom Clerk
- Sodexo 3.7 *
- San Ramon, CA 94583
- Clerk 1 – Mail Room
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice 3.4 *
- Plainview, TX
- Salary $1,979 Per Month
- Mailroom Clerk
- W. Lee Flowers 3.8*
- Hickory, NC 28601
- Seasonal Mail Clerk
- Samaritan’s Purse 4.4*
- Boone, NC
- Mailroom Clerk
- Demant
- Somerset, NJ 08873
(Source: indeed.com)
