SOC 43-5053 · Chattanooga, TN-GA metro

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators Salary in Chattanooga, TN

The average salary for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators in Chattanooga, Tennessee is $59,960 a year ($28.83 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $58,390: half of the 200 people in this job in the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($59,352).

$59,960average per year

$28.83 / hourMedian $58,390Take-home ≈ $50,358

  • $43K10th
  • $51K25th
  • $58KMedian
  • $75K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

200people in this job
+1%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 5Tennessee metros
91cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators pay range in Chattanooga

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,600 a year or less, while the top 10% make $75,280 or more. The middle half of postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators in Chattanooga earn between $50,770 and $75,030.

  • $43K10th
  • $51K25th
  • $58KMedian
  • $75K75th
  • $75K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$59,960$4,997$28.83
Median$58,390$4,866$28.07
Entry level (25th percentile)$50,770$4,231$24.41
Experienced (75th percentile)$75,030$6,252$36.07

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salary after taxes in Chattanooga

On the average salary of $59,960, a single filer in Chattanooga takes home about $50,358 a year, or $4,196 a month and $1,937 every two weeks. Taxes take 16% of gross pay.

The Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in TN$50,358$4,196
Working in GA$48,114$4,010

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.

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Is Chattanooga a good place for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Chattanooga area are 9% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 91.5), so the average $59,960 buys what about $65,556 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Chattanooga ($46,700). A typical home costs $326,370, or 5.4 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $59,960 is worth in another city

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salary in other Tennessee cities

Chattanooga ranks 1st of 5 Tennessee metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salaries in Tennessee

Highest-paying cities for postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

Erie, PA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($66,250).

Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salary by city

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Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators salary in Chattanooga: questions

How much do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators make an hour in Chattanooga?

$28.83 an hour on average, and $28.07 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators salary in Chattanooga?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $42,600 a year and the 25th percentile is $50,770, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators take-home pay in Chattanooga?

About $50,358 a year ($4,196 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $59,960. Tennessee has no state income tax.

Do postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators earn more in Chattanooga than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($59,352).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 43-5053; area Chattanooga, TN-GA (16860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.0%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.08, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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