How much do Couriers and Messengers make in Modesto, CA?

Percentile spread

For Couriers and Messengers, the published 10th percentile is $35,660 and the 90th percentile is $72,470. The difference is $36,810, which is 78.3% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $42,720 to the 75th at $62,580, covers $19,860.

The mean annual wage is $51,800, which sits above the median of $47,020. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Modesto, CA median is 19.9% higher than the national median of $39,200 for Couriers and Messengers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $45,165, which is 15.2% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.6% higher than the California median of $44,970.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Modesto, CA is 104.108, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $47,020 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Couriers and Messengers at $45,165 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

9 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Couriers and Messengers. Modesto, CA ranks 3rd of 10 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Stockton-Lodi, CA is 30 miles away, with a median of $37,510 and employment of 70. That median is 20.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,694, against $45,165 here.
• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 50 miles away, with a median of $55,680 and employment of 390. That median is 18.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,424, against $45,165 here.
• San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 71 miles away, with a median of $47,840 and employment of 940. That median is 1.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,379, against $45,165 here.

Employment share

Couriers and Messengers accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Modesto, CA (110 of 195,230). Nationally the occupation is 0.04% of employment (68,640 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.28 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.