How To Become A Paper Carrier: What It Is and Career Path

What is a paper carrier and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a paper carrier. For example, did you know that they make an average of $12.36 an hour? That's $25,707 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -6% and produce -29,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePaper CarrierUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $25,707

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

2.9

Growth Rate -6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 6.55%

Black or African American 8.09%

Hispanic or Latino 13.57%

Unknown 6.34%

White 64.72%

Gender

female 46.68%

male 53.32%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress Level

2.9

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

1.8

Complexity Level is simple

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a paper carrier

Explore paper carrier education requirements

Most common paper carrier degrees

High School Diploma

45.8 %

Associate

20.2 %

Bachelor's

16.9 %

Start to develop specific paper carrier skills

Skills	Percentages
Newspapers	55.07%
Customer Service	20.38%
Delivery Route	5.19%
Customers Homes	4.80%
Front Door	4.33%

Complete relevant paper carrier training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New paper carriers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a paper carrier based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real paper carrier resumes.

Research paper carrier duties and responsibilities

Log and input appropriate data into IRP database.
Paper delivery, fold newspapers, deliver to customers expectations, advertise the company
Deliver and sell newspapers to subscribers along a prescribe route and collect payment periodically.
Supervise and direct military and civilian personnel in the performance of daily supply logistics support functions.

Prepare your paper carrier resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your paper carrier resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a paper carrier resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Paper Carrier Resume templates

Build a professional Paper Carrier resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Paper Carrier resume.

Apply for paper carrier jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a paper carrier job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do paper carriers rate their job?