Hiring a courier in New York, NY

Do New York residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area pay?

New York residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $47,126 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $56,850 as the median of the 51 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 17%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area the group covers 51 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from library assistants, clerical at $37,860 to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $83,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with couriers and messengers at $41,140 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 51 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what New York residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in New York?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-5021.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 41% of New York adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of New York aged 25 and over.

The average New York commute runs 40.6 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 15% of New York workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for New York.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In New York County, administrative and support services employs 171,059 and turns over 12.6% a quarter, with 33,408 hires against 35,718 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,671 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 56.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about couriers and messengers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $41,140 median in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $8,228 to $12,342 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a courier in New York

What does it cost to hire a courier in New York?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $41,140 median wage in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $8,228 to $12,342 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a courier in New York look like?

Employers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area pay couriers and messengers a median of $41,140, with the middle half of the market between $37,820 and $48,420 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $37,820 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do New York residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area pay?

New York residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $47,126 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $56,850 as the median of the 51 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 17%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in New York?

This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 41% of New York adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Related

• Hiring Couriers and Messengers: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in New York
• Every New York city we cover

New York is the largest of 4 New York cities in this dataset.