# Couriers and Messengers

US SOC code 43-5021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-5021

Also called: Courier, Messenger, Delivery driver, Last-mile delivery worker, Package delivery driver.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **68,640** US couriers and messengers, with median pay of **$39,200** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **118,210**, in May 2003. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1943/dec/population-occupation.html) of **80,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for couriers and messengers: Smartphone dispatch platforms, 2012 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-5021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **15.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Couriers and Messengers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1843
- Latest US employment: 68,640 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $39,200 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 74102)
  - Employment, 2020: 32,995. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [6]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 74102 Couriers and messengers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$50,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [10]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 74102 Couriers and messengers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 80,000 | n/a | Decennial Census [1] |
| 1910 | n/a | $312 (estimate) | Est., Library of Congress [7] |
| 1930 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Future History (derived estimate) [2] |
| 1980 | 95,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [3] |
| 1985 | n/a | $13,500 (estimate) | Est., WBEZ Chicago [8] |
| 2000 | 135,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., O\*NET 43-5021.00 [4] |
| 2003 | 118,210 | $19,530 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 111,700 | $20,190 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 106,520 | $20,870 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 105,070 | $21,540 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 100,820 | $22,360 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 96,110 | $23,330 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 93,460 | $23,770 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 85,620 | $24,080 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 83,250 | $24,750 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 76,830 | $25,440 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 74,060 | $26,230 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 71,760 | $26,640 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 73,180 | $27,280 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 74,120 | $28,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 76,710 | $28,250 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 75,720 | $28,720 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 74,720 | $29,690 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 70,700 | $30,980 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 68,310 | $33,050 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 75,800 | $35,280 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 72,010 | $36,710 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 71,920 | $38,340 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 68,640 | $39,200 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (84)

### Employment series

1. [US Census Bureau / IPUMS USA -- Comparative Occupation Statistics 1870-1940 (messenger and errand boy category)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1943/dec/population-occupation.html), US Census Bureau
2. [Derived estimate of US courier/messenger employment c.1930, informed by Western Union's ~14,000 telegraph messengers plus non-telegraph delivery/office messengers](https://socialhistoryportal.org/news/articles/109882), Future History (derived estimate)
3. [Wikipedia -- Bicycle messenger (history: NY City 5,000 messengers by 1987; Chicago Loop 1,500 at peak)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_messenger), Wikipedia / multiple secondary sources
4. [O\*NET 43-5021.00 -- Couriers and Messengers (BLS occupational profile, employment context)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-5021.00), O\*NET / BLS
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

7. [Library of Congress -- Lewis Hine NCLC photographs and investigative notes, Western Union messenger boys 1908-1909](https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/nclc/), Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee
8. [WBEZ Chicago -- "Last bike messengers in Chicago tell how they survive" (earnings history, Chicago Loop messenger industry)](https://www.wbez.org/business/2025/08/13/bicycle-bike-messenger-courier-business-pandemic), WBEZ Chicago
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

11. [EH.net -- "Telegraph Messenger Boys: Labor, Technology and Geography, 1850-1950" (book review, Western Union messenger corps history)](https://eh.net/book_reviews/telegraph-messenger-boys-labor-technology-and-geography-1850-1950/), Economic History Association
12. [Wikipedia -- Bicycle messenger (emergence: Paris stock exchange 1870s; US adoption 1890s bicycle boom)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_messenger), Wikipedia
13. [Rare Historical Photos -- "The Early Teen Bicycle Messengers: Photos From 1908-1917"](https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/early-teen-bicycle-messengers-1908-1917/), Rare Historical Photos
14. [GFD Courier -- "History of the Messenger Delivery Services In New York City" (motorized transition, express industry evolution)](https://gfdcourier.com/history-of-the-messenger/), GFD Courier
15. [Engineering and Technology History Wiki -- "Fax Machines" (Group 3 standard 1980, mass office adoption)](https://ethw.org/Fax_Machines), IEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki
16. [HRW 2025 -- "The Gig Trap: Algorithmic Wage and Labor Exploitation in Platform Work in the US"](https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/05/12/the-gig-trap/algorithmic-wage-and-labor-exploitation-in-platform-work-in-the-us), Human Rights Watch
17. [O\*NET 43-5021.00 -- BLS OEWS May 2024 (employment 247,200)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-5021.00), O\*NET / BLS
18. [Logistics Viewpoints 2025 -- "Evaluating DoorDash's Autonomous Delivery Robot Dot" (autonomous delivery pilots)](https://logisticsviewpoints.com/2025/10/01/evaluating-doordashs-autonomous-delivery-robot-dot-and-its-implications-for-the-future-of-last-mile-logistics-and-supply-chain-efficiency/), Logistics Viewpoints
19. [Infinity Sky AI 2026 -- "AI Automation for Courier and Last-Mile Delivery"](https://infinitysky.ai/blog/ai-automation-courier-last-mile-delivery-2026), Infinity Sky AI

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-5021 Couriers and messengers (2025: 228.9 thousand; 2035: 247.1 thousand; +8.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-5021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 43-5021.00, human-rated β 0.155)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

22. [Britannica -- "Pony Express" and US telegraph history (commercial telegraph origin 1844)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pony-Express), Encyclopaedia Britannica
23. [HISTORY -- "Pony Express debuts" (April 3, 1860)](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-3/pony-express-debuts), HISTORY
24. [Library of Congress / NCLC -- Lewis Hine photographs, Western Union messenger boys 1908-1909](https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/nclc/), Library of Congress
25. [Wikipedia -- Bicycle messenger (Carl Sparks, San Francisco, 1945; post-war courier industry emergence)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_messenger), Wikipedia
26. [Engineering and Technology History Wiki -- "Fax Machines" (Group 3 ITU standard 1980)](https://ethw.org/Fax_Machines), IEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki
27. [NPR -- "Western Union Sends Its Last Telegram" (February 2, 2006)](https://www.npr.org/2006/02/02/5186113/western-union-sends-its-last-telegram), NPR
28. [HRW 2025 -- "The Gig Trap: Algorithmic Wage and Labor Exploitation in Platform Work in the US" (gig platform growth and COVID acceleration)](https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/05/12/the-gig-trap/algorithmic-wage-and-labor-exploitation-in-platform-work-in-the-us), Human Rights Watch

### Predecessors & successors

29. [EH.net -- "Telegraph Messenger Boys: Labor, Technology and Geography, 1850-1950"](https://eh.net/book_reviews/telegraph-messenger-boys-labor-technology-and-geography-1850-1950/), Economic History Association
30. [GFD Courier -- "History of the Messenger Delivery Services In New York City"](https://gfdcourier.com/history-of-the-messenger/), GFD Courier

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS OES May 2023 — Couriers and Messengers (43-5021)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes435021.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS MLR 2026 — Industry and Occupational Employment Projections 2024-34](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2026/article/industry-and-occupational-employment-projections-overview.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Couriers and Messengers (43-5021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-5021.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [HRW 2025 — The Gig Trap: Algorithmic Wage and Labor Exploitation in Platform Work](https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/05/12/the-gig-trap/algorithmic-wage-and-labor-exploitation-in-platform-work-in-the-us), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Infinity Sky AI 2026 — AI Automation for Courier and Last-Mile Delivery](https://infinitysky.ai/blog/ai-automation-courier-last-mile-delivery-2026), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Logistics Viewpoints 2025 — DoorDash Dot Autonomous Delivery Robot](https://logisticsviewpoints.com/2025/10/01/evaluating-doordashs-autonomous-delivery-robot-dot-and-its-implications-for-the-future-of-last-mile-logistics-and-supply-chain-efficiency/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Robotics and Automation News 2025 — Top 20 Autonomous Delivery Robot Companies](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/04/12/top-20-autonomous-delivery-robot-companies-in-2025/89707/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Onfleet 2025 Q1-Q2 — Route Optimization and New Features](https://onfleet.com/blog/2025-whats-new-in-onfleet/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Onfleet 2026 — Best AI Route Optimization Software](https://onfleet.com/blog/ai-route-optimization-software/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.