Postal Service Mail Carriers Salary
The median pay for a postal service mail carriers in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC is $55,020/year ($26.45/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $84K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.34), which stretches that salary to about $62,282 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,358/month, about 36.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $55K actually covers in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Pinehurst-Southern Pines’s Regional Price Parity (88.34). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About postal service mail carriers
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What this looks like in Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Postal service mail carriers pay in Pinehurst-Southern Pines tracks closely to the national median, $55K locally vs. $61K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,358/month, which is 37.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.34 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for postal service mail carriers in metros near Pinehurst-Southern Pines, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $61K | $63K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $62K | $63K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $62K | $67K |
| Winston-Salem | $62K | $67K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
Entry-level postal service mail carriers (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $55K. Top earners bring in $84K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Postal Service Mail Carriers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Postal Service Mail Carriers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $64K | +6% | 930 |
| Rhode Island | $64K | +5% | 1,220 |
| Arizona | $62K | +3% | 5,300 |
| California | $62K | +3% | 32,320 |
| New York | $62K | +3% | 20,580 |
| Massachusetts | $62K | +3% | 7,630 |
| Virginia | $62K | +3% | 7,900 |
| Nevada | $62K | +3% | 2,530 |
| Illinois | $62K | +3% | 14,730 |
| Maryland | $62K | +3% | 6,420 |
| New Jersey | $61K | +1% | 10,160 |
| Connecticut | $61K | +1% | 4,510 |
| Florida | $61K | +1% | 20,810 |
| Ohio | $61K | +1% | 12,680 |
| South Dakota | $61K | +0% | 850 |
| Texas | $61K | +0% | 26,700 |
| Washington | $60K | -1% | 6,550 |
| North Carolina | $60K | -1% | 11,030 |
| Minnesota | $60K | -1% | 5,890 |
| New Hampshire | $60K | -1% | 1,560 |
| Delaware | $60K | -1% | 1,130 |
| Alaska | $60K | -1% | 450 |
| Hawaii | $60K | -1% | 1,200 |
| Indiana | $60K | -1% | 6,910 |
| Iowa | $60K | -1% | 3,730 |
| Michigan | $60K | -1% | 11,610 |
| Missouri | $60K | -1% | 7,260 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -1% | 2,150 |
| New Mexico | $60K | -1% | 1,570 |
| Oklahoma | $60K | -1% | 4,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $60K | -1% | 13,900 |
| Utah | $60K | -1% | 2,460 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | -1% | 6,470 |
| Wyoming | $60K | -1% | 430 |
| Colorado | $60K | -1% | 5,100 |
| Arkansas | $60K | -1% | 3,030 |
| Oregon | $59K | -2% | 3,760 |
| Montana | $59K | -3% | 830 |
| North Dakota | $59K | -3% | 800 |
| Maine | $59K | -3% | 1,510 |
| Vermont | $59K | -3% | 690 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -3% | 4,640 |
| Louisiana | $59K | -3% | 5,090 |
| Tennessee | $59K | -3% | 7,310 |
| Kansas | $59K | -3% | 3,310 |
| Idaho | $58K | -5% | 1,660 |
| West Virginia | $58K | -5% | 1,850 |
| Georgia | $58K | -5% | 10,790 |
| South Carolina | $58K | -5% | 5,650 |
| Alabama | $58K | -5% | 5,840 |
| Mississippi | $57K | -5% | 3,290 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track postal service mail carriers salary changes
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a postal service mail carrier afford a 2BR apartment alone in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $55K, rent takes 37.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,358/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for postal service mail carriers in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new postal service mail carriers typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,849/month. At HUD’s $1,358/month FMR, rent would take 48% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is postal service mail carrier a high-paying job in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $55K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Pinehurst-Southern Pines compare to the national average for postal service mail carriers?
Pinehurst-Southern Pines pays $55K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $62K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do postal service mail carriers make in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC?
The median is $55,020 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,390, and experienced postal service mail carriers can clear $83,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $55K enough to live in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,648/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,358/month, which eats 37.2% 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 mail carriers salary go in Pinehurst-Southern Pines?
Pinehurst-Southern Pines has a Regional Price Parity of 88.34 (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 mail carriers salary is worth about $62,282 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do postal service mail carriers 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.