Couriers and Messengers
Also called: Courier, Driver, Lab Courier (Laboratory Courier), MessengerPick 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 8.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 38% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $34,820 | $29,440 to $38,470 | 720 |
| Alaska | $41,720 | $37,160 to $45,690 | 160 |
| Arizona | $38,980 | $36,920 to $44,470 | 820 |
| Arkansas | $37,070 | $33,860 to $38,930 | 300 |
| California | $44,970 | $39,420 to $48,480 | 7,240 |
| Colorado | $45,140 | $39,280 to $49,930 | 640 |
| Connecticut | $39,480 | $36,240 to $46,830 | 650 |
| Delaware | $38,760 | $36,750 to $38,830 | 170 |
| District of Columbia | $45,210 | $41,190 to $49,030 | 120 |
| Florida | $37,740 | $34,380 to $42,190 | 4,910 |
| Georgia | $39,400 | $35,100 to $45,950 | 2,100 |
| Guam | $26,400 | $22,340 to $31,200 | 90 |
| Hawaii | $38,580 | $37,830 to $42,480 | 270 |
| Idaho | $36,110 | $31,200 to $40,000 | 410 |
| Illinois | $39,100 | $35,940 to $45,070 | 1,340 |
| Indiana | $37,270 | $35,490 to $40,310 | 990 |
| Iowa | $38,460 | $36,250 to $40,900 | 580 |
| Kansas | $38,370 | $34,750 to $44,990 | 580 |
| Kentucky | $35,880 | $28,150 to $39,740 | 750 |
| Louisiana | $33,490 | $29,020 to $38,630 | 1,030 |
| Maine | $41,710 | $38,560 to $47,980 | 40 |
| Maryland | $39,140 | $35,960 to $44,240 | 770 |
| Massachusetts | $42,380 | $38,540 to $47,520 | 1,560 |
| Michigan | $37,940 | $34,780 to $42,220 | 1,500 |
| Minnesota | $44,860 | $39,070 to $47,930 | 440 |
| Mississippi | $35,780 | $29,780 to $38,190 | 590 |
| Missouri | $41,410 | $38,270 to $44,750 | 1,060 |
| Montana | $40,080 | $34,040 to $43,800 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $34,600 | $28,790 to $43,400 | 470 |
| Nevada | $46,520 | $37,510 to $48,250 | 530 |
| New Hampshire | $40,630 | $36,490 to $49,350 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $40,870 | $37,680 to $45,830 | 2,100 |
| New Mexico | $38,570 | $31,560 to $39,930 | 400 |
| New York | $38,740 | $36,740 to $46,950 | 7,320 |
| North Carolina | $39,100 | $35,600 to $41,740 | 3,350 |
| North Dakota | $38,090 | $36,690 to $44,250 | 40 |
| Ohio | $38,320 | $34,620 to $43,610 | 1,710 |
| Oklahoma | $38,910 | $35,870 to $43,320 | 1,220 |
| Oregon | $45,170 | $38,130 to $49,500 | 850 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,700 | $35,870 to $46,110 | 3,330 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,160 | $21,950 to $28,140 | 2,910 |
| Rhode Island | $36,810 | $31,210 to $37,090 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $36,710 | $28,070 to $39,960 | 1,380 |
| South Dakota | $31,650 | $30,900 to $36,560 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $40,270 | $36,510 to $44,110 | not published |
| Texas | $39,260 | $36,540 to $45,310 | 4,710 |
| Utah | $42,840 | $41,030 to $42,880 | 850 |
| Vermont | $45,600 | $39,900 to $46,140 | 50 |
| Virgin Islands | $21,840 | $21,840 to $32,290 | 30 |
| Virginia | $37,820 | $36,400 to $45,390 | 2,010 |
| Washington | $46,500 | $41,460 to $51,480 | 1,190 |
| West Virginia | $34,890 | $32,060 to $37,740 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $36,910 | $35,620 to $43,330 | 2,560 |
| Wyoming | $31,680 | $24,630 to $49,330 | 70 |
Nationally: $39,200. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route. | Not published |
| AI + software | Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person. | Not published |
| Not much | Deliver messages and items, such as newspapers, documents, and packages, between establishment departments and to other establishments and private homes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan and follow the most efficient routes for delivering goods. | Not published |
| Not much | Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Unload and sort items collected along delivery routes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients' responses to messages. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform routine maintenance on delivery vehicles, such as monitoring fluid levels and replenishing fuel. | Not published |
| AI + software | Check with home offices after completed deliveries to confirm deliveries and collections and to receive instructions for other deliveries. | Not published |
| Not much | Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Use telephone to deliver verbal messages. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform general office or clerical work, such as filing materials, operating duplicating machines, or running errands. | Not published |
| Not much | Unload goods from large trucks, and load them onto smaller delivery vehicles. | Not published |
| Not much | Open, sort, and distribute incoming mail. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Sort materials or products | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Obtain formal documentation or authorization | |||
| Operate office equipment |
Show all 13 activities
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An email or message72%
- A document or report2%
- A plan or strategy2%
- An analysis or summary1%
- An explanation or answer1%
How they worked with Claude
36% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for couriers and messengers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 20,952 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 22,934 moves in
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
- 5 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 9% less than high school
- 37% high school
- 28% some college
- 9% associate's
- 13% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 5,022 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
97.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/43-5021.00