A paperboy is a person, often a child or teenager, who delivers printed newspapers to homes or offices along a regular route. This work is usually done by bicycle or car. In Western countries during the early 1900s, when printed newspapers were very popular, many young people had their first job as paperboys, often working before or after school. This is different from a newsboy or newspaper hawker, who sold newspapers to people walking by on the street. Newsboys used loud and energetic methods to attract buyers. These sellers were common in cities where many newspapers were published daily, such as up to 50 newspapers in New York City at one time.

History

The responsibilities of a paperboy depended on the distributor, but often included counting and sorting newspapers, rolling papers and placing them in newspaper bags during bad weather, and collecting money from customers.

The number of paperboys has decreased greatly. This happened partly because afternoon newspapers, which were easier for school-aged children to deliver than morning papers (usually delivered before 6 a.m.), became less common. Other factors include changes in population, the rise of online news, laws limiting child labor in the mid-20th century, the decline of small towns where bicycle delivery was practical, and increased worries about the safety of children delivering papers alone. These changes led many newspapers to hire adults instead. Today, paperboys are mostly used by weekly community newspapers and free shopper papers, which are often delivered in the afternoon. Sometimes, paperboys are only hired once a week to deliver the Sunday paper. Most deliveries now are done by adults in cars, called newspaper carriers. These workers are typically hired as independent contractors by the newspapers.