The Postal Service is always striving to increase the impact, excitement and value of mail. We’ve always embraced new technologies and innovation. We’re firmly focused on improving the mailing experience.
People, machines, vehicles, technology — it’s an impressive feat to get that card from grandma or that package from your favorite online store to your doorstep.
Vehicle Service Operations
Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) operations includes more than 10,000 uniformed motor vehicle and tractor trailer operators. The PVS fleet includes 2,202 cargo vans, 1,880 tractors and nearly 3,200 trailers. Commuting within a 170-mile radius of their facility, PVS drivers travel more than 167 million miles each year.
25,000 packages/hour
The Enhanced Package Processing System (EPPS) sorts 25,000 packages per hour.
delivery unit sorter
The Automated Delivery Unit Sorter (ADUS) automates the sorting of smaller packages - up to 30 pounds - at a rate of 3,400 pieces per hour with a sort accuracy of 99.95 percent.
LINK
Link, a daily news site for Postal Service employees, is available on any computer with internet access. The content is produced by a team of writers and editors based at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. Additional contributions come from postal employees across the nation. The site is updated with new articles, photos, graphics and videos each weekday.
Regular features include “Heroes’ Corner,” a column about employees who perform heroic deeds, and “On the Move,” a weekly roundup of employees who’ve received new appointments or recognition.
Employees with postal email addresses receive a Link email each weekday with links to the most recent stories. The team also produces an end-of-week Link Recap email with stories readers might have missed, along with Link Extra emails for breaking news.
Link mobile is a mobile-friendly version of the Link site. Link mobile has all the news you’ll find on the desktop version of Link, except it’s formatted for easy reading on handheld smart devices. Employees and others can receive a weekly Link mobile email by subscribing at www.usps.link.
BROKER
This service solves the ever-increasing problem of customers conducting business online and not being able to print shipping labels.
With Label Broker, customers can get a shipping label on their mobile device, in the form of a matrix barcode, directly from the merchant. The customer uses the code to print a label at a Post Office or on a printer connected to usps.com. Label Broker is also the foundational technology that has enabled USPS Operation Santa to expand and evolve in a digital format.
For more information, go to www.usps.com/business/label-broker.htm
pounds of mail fly each day
The Postal Service uses 140 domestic airports to fly six million pounds of mail each day.
International Mail revenue
International Mail is a $1.6 billion business for the Postal Service.
miles driven in 2023
To move mail using surface transportation, the Postal Service drove more than 1.9 billion miles in 2023 — more than 23.8 million trips in more than 25,000 box trucks and tractor-trailers daily.
external email messages
In 2023, the Postal Service email gateway system delivered more than 12.5 billion external email messages to postal customers and business partners. Roughly 82 percent of these were automated messages from Informed Delivery. The Postal Service also delivered 107 million notification emails related to COVID-19 test kits.
emails blocked monthly
On average, more than 5 million emails from external senders are blocked each month to protect the Postal Service network.
With one of the largest corporate email systems, the Postal Service handled more than 3.6 million legitimate emails a day in 2023, delivered to more than 195,000 email accounts. But some emails are blocked due to:
petabytes of storage
The Postal Service has 110 petabytes of storage capacity — equivalent to playing more than 244,000 years of songs on an MP3 player, with no repeats.
driven
The Postal Service uses data not only to ensure its operations run smoothly, but also to help businesses make better use of the mail. Its mission is to provide the right information to the right people in real time using advanced technology.
enabled
The Postal Service uses a vast network of people and advanced technologies to collect, process, transport and accurately deliver the nation’s mail in an increasingly digital world.
the best
Patently the best. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued more than 500 patents to the United States Postal Service.
our mark
Leaving a mark! The Postal Service has 385 domestic and 1,000 foreign trademark registrations.
of our domains
Master of our domains. The Postal Service owns 1,958 internet domains.
seamless mail pieces
The Seamless Acceptance program automates the payment verification of commercial mailings by leveraging electronic documentation (eDoc), Intelligent Mail barcodes and information collected from both handheld sampling devices and mail processing equipment scans. In 2023, the Seamless Acceptance program accepted 75.9 billion mail pieces from 2,511 mailers.
eInduction mailers
The eInduction process simplifies mail induction by using eDoc, Intelligent Mail container barcodes and handheld scanner technologies to verify the payment and preparation of commercial mail containers. In 2023, 1,121 mailers took advantage of eInduction.
in EPS revenue
The Enterprise Payment System (EPS) allows customers to pay for and manage their use of Postal Service products and services online, using an integrated single payment account. In 2023, EPS collected $44.1 billion in revenue, which is a 4.5 percent increase over 2022.
in eVS revenue
The Electronic Verification System (eVS) allows high-volume package mailers and package consolidators to document and pay for postage, including extra service fees, using electronic manifest files. In 2023, eVS processed 4.8 billion packages from 3,225 customers and collected $16.6 billion in revenue, representing an 8 percent increase in revenue from 2022.
in short-paid revenue
The Automated Package Verification (APV) program automates the detection and collection of postage due for mail pieces with insufficient postage using automated package processing equipment. The APV program collected $114.2 million in short-paid revenue in 2023.
printing technology
The Postal Service releases several stamps each year that highlight innovative stamp printing technologies.
In 2023, those stamps were:
a watercolor background and silver foil-stamped designs and typography creating a sophisticated look.
At Work
The daily operations performed by the Postal Service depend on an astonishing network of people and technologies that collect, transport, process and deliver the nation’s mail.
The daily operations performed by the Postal Service depend on an astonishing network of people and technologies that collect, transport, process and deliver the nation’s mail. The Postal Service operates hundreds of mail processing and distribution centers across the country. The employees in these facilities accept, sort and dispatch the nation’s mail.
The Postal Service operates more than 8,500 pieces of automated equipment that process and sort U.S. Mail.
million trays
Tray sorting machines sort more than 10 million trays per day through conveyor systems.
of processing equipment
The Postal Service operates more than 8,500 pieces of automated equipment that processes and sorts nearly half the world’s mail.
Mobile Delivery Devices
Mobile Delivery Devices (MDDs) provide real-time scanning for daily delivery operations. There are more than 285,000 MDDs in use nationwide.
point-of-sale terminals
Retail Systems Software (RSS point-of-sale software) is used to serve customers with their mailing and shipping needs at 20,459 locations. RSS is currently installed on 48,223 window service, military, business partner and self-service kiosk systems.
corporate emails daily
With one of the largest corporate email systems, the Postal Service handled more than 3.6 million legitimate emails a day in 2023, delivered to more than 195,000 email accounts.
postage stamp
Out of this world! A postage stamp was inside the New Horizons spacecraft that made a flyby of Pluto in July 2015. That's the farthest distance traveled by a postage stamp - more than 3 billion miles. So noted by the Guinness World Records.
The “Pluto: Not Yet Explored” 29-cent stamp was part of a set of solar system stamps that were issued in 1991.
USPS and mailers
Postal Customer Councils (PCCs). These Postal Service-affiliated networks connect business mailers with local Post Office leadership to develop more effective and profitable mailings through training and information sharing. Since the 1960s, PCCs have been the go-to local resource for helping mailers learn, innovate and build their business. More information can be found at postalpro.usps.com/pcc.
Find more information at postalpro.usps.com/pcc.
providing technical advice
Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC). Representing select mailing associations, this group works to enhance the value of mail by providing technical advice and recommendations to the Postal Service. More information can be found at postalpro.usps.com/mtac.
stamps postmarked per hour
The Advanced Facer Canceller System positions letter mail and postmarks stamps at 36,000 pieces per hour.
The daily operations performed by the Postal Service depend on an astonishing network of people and technologies that collect, transport, process and deliver the nation’s mail.
miles of conveyors
The Postal Service is one of the largest material-handling systems in the world for moving mail. There are more than 200 miles of conveyors within postal facilities.
character recognition
The Postal Service is the world leader in optical character recognition technology, with machines reading nearly 98 percent of all hand-addressed letters and 99.5 percent of machine-printed mail.
Intelligent Mail
A unique Intelligent Mail barcode identifies individual pieces of mail, trays, sacks and containers to track them through the postal processing system from induction to delivery.
more than $5B in revenue
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). This online service began in 2011 and is designed to help business mailers direct their Marketing Mail pieces to customers in a select neighborhood, city or ZIP Code. Since 2011, more than 33 billion pieces of EDDM have been sent, resulting in $5 billion in revenue. Nearly 3 billion pieces were sent in 2023, equating to $700 million in revenue.
The USPS Printer Directory provides customers free access to local print, design and mail preparation services for Every Door Direct Mail and other direct mail products through a searchable database and mapping program. More than 700 listings populate the directory that serves small and medium-size businesses nationwide.
Informed Delivery Customers
With Informed Delivery service, you can digitally preview your incoming mail and manage your packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. More than 60 million customers have enrolled since it was launched in 2017.
Informed Delivery provides eligible residential customers with a digital preview of their household’s incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon. Users can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of incoming letter-sized mail pieces (not the inside contents) via email or an online dashboard.
Informed Delivery also allows customers to track packages delivered by the Postal Service and see when they will be delivered.
For more information and to sign up, go to usps.com/informeddelivery.
handheld scanners
The Postal Service communications network supports and maintains more than 157,681 workstations, 41,000 server computers, 52,689 printers, 27,909 smartphones, 640 tablets and 443,700 handheld scanners.
The Postal Service communications network contains more than 249,000 provisioned subnets that connect more than 2 million devices
robotics systems
The Postal Service has the largest gantry robotic fleet in the world using 165 robotics systems to move 300,000 mail trays per day.
Trademarks
The Sonic Eagle Logo, the trade dress of USPS packaging, the Letter Carrier Uniform and the Postal Truck and the following marks are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: Click-N-Ship®, Deliver The Win®, EDDM®, ePostage®, Every Door Direct Mail®, Express Mail®, First-Class™, First-Class Mail®, First-Class Package International Service®, Forever®, Global Express Guaranteed®, IMb®, Informed Delivery®, Intelligent Mail®, Label Broker™, Parcel Select®, P.O. Box™, Post Office®, Pony Express®, Postal Inspection Service™, PostalOne!®, Postal Police®, #PostalProud®, Priority Mail Express International®, Priority Mail Flat Rate®, Priority Mail International®, Priority: You®, Registered Mail™, Standard Mail®, The Postal Store®, United States Postal Inspection Service®, United States Postal Service®, U.S. Mail®, U.S. Postal Inspector™, U.S. Postal Service®, USPS®, USPS BlueEarth®, USPS Mobile®, USPS Operation Santa®, USPS Tracking®, usps.com®, We are people delivering to people™, ZIP+4® and ZIP Code™. This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.
Non-Postal Trademarks
Dollar General®, Forest Stewardship Council®, How2Recycle®, McDonald’s®, National Dog Bite Prevention Week®, Starbucks®, Subway®, Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, The Climate Registry®.
Postal Facts 2024 provides the public with information about the U.S. Postal Service. The facts in this publication may be reproduced for the purpose of stating the fact itself, in a business, informational or academic context and the like, and in the body of text discussing factual subject matter relevant to the fact being presented. However, these facts may become outdated after publication and seeking the latest information is advised.
Produced by U.S. Postal Service Corporate Communications
© 2024 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
© 2016-2024 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Trademarks
The Sonic Eagle Logo, the trade dress of USPS packaging, the Letter Carrier Uniform and the Postal Truck and the following marks are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: Click-N-Ship®, Deliver The Win®, EDDM®, ePostage®, Every Door Direct Mail®, Express Mail®, First-Class™, First-Class Mail®, First-Class Package International Service®, Forever®, Global Express Guaranteed®, IMb®, Informed Delivery®, Intelligent Mail®, Label Broker™, Parcel Select®, P.O. Box™, Post Office®, Pony Express®, Postal Inspection Service™, PostalOne!®, Postal Police®, #PostalProud®, Priority Mail Express International®, Priority Mail Flat Rate®, Priority Mail International®, Priority: You®, Registered Mail™, Standard Mail®, The Postal Store®, United States Postal Inspection Service®, United States Postal Service®, U.S. Mail®, U.S. Postal Inspector™, U.S. Postal Service®, USPS®, USPS BlueEarth®, USPS Mobile®, USPS Operation Santa®, USPS Tracking®, usps.com®, We are people delivering to people™, ZIP+4® and ZIP Code™. This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.
Non-Postal Trademarks
Dollar General®, Forest Stewardship Council®, How2Recycle®, McDonald’s®, National Dog Bite Prevention Week®, Starbucks®, Subway®, Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, The Climate Registry®.
Postal Facts 2024 provides the public with information about the U.S. Postal Service. The facts in this publication may be reproduced for the purpose of stating the fact itself, in a business, informational or academic context and the like, and in the body of text discussing factual subject matter relevant to the fact being presented. However, these facts may become outdated after publication and seeking the latest information is advised.
Produced by U.S. Postal Service Corporate Communications
© 2024 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
© 2016-2024 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
