Postal Service Clerks Salary
The median pay for a postal service clerks in Virginia is $62,610/year ($30.1/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $66,051 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 40% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $63K get you in Virginia?
About postal service clerks
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Virginia
Postal service clerks pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $63K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 40.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level postal service clerks (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $32K spread from bottom to top.
Postal Service Clerks salary by metro in Virginia
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $65K | +4% | 40 |
| Harrisonburg | $65K | +3% | 40 |
| Roanoke | $64K | +3% | 60 |
| Winchester | $63K | +1% | 40 |
| Lynchburg | $62K | -2% | 70 |
| Richmond | $61K | -2% | 250 |
| Charlottesville | $61K | -2% | 60 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $61K | -3% | 310 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $58K | -7% | 50 |
Compare to other states
Track postal service clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a postal service clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 40.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for postal service clerks in Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new postal service clerks typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,556/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 64% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is postal service clerk a high-paying job in Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for postal service clerks?
Virginia pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do postal service clerks make in Virginia?
The median is $62,610 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,600, and experienced postal service clerks can clear $75,030. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,105/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 40.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a postal service clerks salary go in Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median postal service clerks salary is worth about $66,051 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do postal service clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.