221,000
mail pieces per minute
The Postal Service processes an average of 221,000 pieces of mail each minute.
Face source: Corp Comms
Whatever It Takes
WE
deliver!
The Postal Service moves mail by planes, hovercraft, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, bicycles, mules and feet. #WeDeliverForYou
Election Mail
ELECTION
MAIL
The U.S. Postal Service upholds its promise to deliver the nation’s Election Mail securely and on time, consistent with the organization’s non-partisan public service mission.
Election Mail consists of mail to or from election officials, including ballots, ballot applications, registration forms and other items that enable citizens to participate in the voting process. The U.S. Postal Service is committed to delivering the nation’s Election Mail securely and on time, consistent with the organization’s non-partisan public service mission.
During the election period of Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 2023, there were nearly 62 million pieces of Election Mail dispatched.
The Postal Service supports voters choosing to use the U.S. Mail to return their ballots, whether it’s for a seat on the local school board or for the president of the United States — and everything in between.
We’re Global
44%
of the world's mail
We're global. The Postal Service processes and delivers 44 percent of the world’s mail and is constantly innovating to make customer experiences better.
Honoring service men and women
Honoring
service men and women
Honoring service members. The Postal Service proudly partners with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide burial flags to families of deceased veterans. In 2023, the Postal Service provided 374,790 burial flags.
24-hour unstaffed post office
24-hour
unstaffed Post Office
One of a kind. There is a 24-hour, unstaffed, self-service Post Office in Northern Virginia that allows customers to conduct most shipping and mailing transactions quickly and easily themselves. The Self-Service Post Office provides round-the-clock accessibility to PO Boxes, as well as self-service kiosks and an automated package drop. In 2023, nearly 8,000 customers used this convenient office.
Singing mailman
Singing
mailman
John Prine, singer and songwriter, was a letter carrier in Maywood, IL, 1964-1969.
Smithsonian Postal Museum Opened
1993
National Postal Museum Opens
In 1993, the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum opened. This museum is dedicated to the preservation, study and presentation of postal history and philately.
The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum offers exhibits tracing the history of the postal system in the United States. It houses nearly six million postal-related items — mostly stamps, but also postal stationery, greeting cards, covers and letters, mailboxes, postal vehicles, handstamps, metering machines, patent models, uniforms, badges, and other objects related to postal history and philately. The museum’s library, with more than 40,000 volumes and manuscripts, is open to the public by appointment. In 2013, the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery — the largest in the world — opened at the museum.
For more information, go to postalmuseum.si.edu.
Total Mail Pieces Processed Daily
318 million
mail pieces processed daily
The Postal Service processed and delivered an average of 318 million mail pieces daily in 2023.
One Day In the Life of the Postal Service
JUST 1 DAY
in the Postal Service
Each day the Postal Service picks up, processes and delivers millions of letters and packages. No single operation in the world comes close to this level of connectivity for so many households and businesses.
Enhanced Package Processing System (EPPS)
EPPS
25,000 packages/hour
The Enhanced Package Processing System (EPPS) sorts 25,000 packages per hour.
Automated Delivery Unit Sorter (ADUS)
Automated
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.
Bolger Center
BOLGER
center
Located in Maryland, the William F. Bolger Center is a premier leadership development and conference center servicing both Postal Service and external clients. It is the only hotel in the country featuring an on-site Smithsonian Institution exhibit.
The William F. Bolger Center is a Postal Service-owned state of the art training facility located on 83 beautiful acres in Potomac, Maryland. It was built in the 1930’s as a Catholic convent by the Sisters of Mercy.
In the 1980’s, it was purchased by the U.S. Postal Service as a training center.
Named for William F. Bolger (March 13, 1923 – August 21, 1989), the 65th Postmaster General of the United States from March 15, 1978 to January 1, 1985.
Link
daily news
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.
Postal Service Headquarters
USPS
Headquarters
The U.S. Postal Service Headquarters building is located in Washington, D.C., just a few blocks south of the National Mall.
Postal Service Headquarters, 1973–Present
Vlastimil Koubek designed the present Postal Service Headquarters building, which is located in Washington, D.C., just a few blocks south of the National Mall.
Post Office Department Headquarters, 1899–1934
This granite building on Pennsylvania Avenue, not far from the White House, was the last to simultaneously house both postal headquarters and the Washington, D.C., Post Office. Horse-drawn wagons brought mail to the building in its early years. By the time postal Headquarters moved to a larger building, almost all mail was carried by motor vehicles.
Free City Delivery
1863
free city delivery
An Act of Congress of March 3, 1863, effective July 1, 1863, provided that free city delivery be established at Post Offices where income from local postage was more than sufficient to pay all expenses of the service. For the first time, Americans had to put street addresses on their letters.
In the late 19th century, free home delivery of mail was introduced — first in cities, then in rural areas — and letter carriers became familiar, trusted visitors to homes and businesses across the country.
Before 1863, postage paid only for the delivery of mail from Post Office to Post Office. Citizens picked up their mail, although in some cities they could pay an extra one- or two-cent fee for letter delivery or use private delivery firms. Among the postal reforms suggested by Postmaster General Montgomery Blair in his 1862 report to the President was free delivery of mail by salaried letter carriers, which he felt would “greatly accelerate deliveries, and promote the public convenience.” He reasoned that if the system of mailing and receiving letters was more convenient, people would use it more often, and pointed to increasing postal revenues in England, which already had adopted free city delivery.
Congress agreed. An Act of Congress of March 3, 1863, effective July 1, 1863, provided that free city delivery be established at Post Offices where income from local postage was more than sufficient to pay all expenses of the service. For the first time, Americans had to put street addresses on their letters.
Owney, the Postal Dog
OWNEY
the postal dog
On an autumn day in 1888, a shaggy pup took his first steps toward becoming a postal legend when he crept into the Albany, New York, Post Office. Postal employees allowed him to stay and named him Owney.
At first, Owney stayed close to the Post Office, but he soon began riding mail wagons to the train depot and then rode the railway mail car down to New York City and back to Albany. As Owney traveled farther, his friends at the Albany Post Office feared he might wander too far away to find his way home again, so they purchased a leather collar with a tag reading “Owney, Post Office, Albany, N.Y.” Railway mail clerks recorded Owney’s travels by attaching metal baggage tags to his collar to identify the rail lines he traveled on. He was soon weighed down by his collection of tags. Postmaster General John Wanamaker presented Owney with a little jacket to distribute their weight more evenly.
Owney took to traveling farther and staying away longer, eventually visiting Mexico, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Suez, Algiers, and the Azores. While being shown off to an Ohio newspaper reporter, Owney bit the clerk who was handling him. The Postmaster had Owney put down on June 11, 1897. Railway mail clerks chipped in money to have a taxidermist preserve Owney’s body, which then was sent to postal headquarters in Washington, D.C., for exhibit. In 1911, the Post Office Department entrusted Owney to the Smithsonian Institution. Since 1993, Owney has been part of the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. In 2011, Owney was honored on a commemorative U.S. postage stamp.
Postmaster Abraham Lincoln
Postmaster
LINCOLN
On May 7, 1833, 24-year-old Abraham Lincoln was appointed Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois. Lincoln served until the office was closed May 30, 1836.
Two postmasters became U.S. Presidents later in their careers — Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman. Truman held the title and signed papers but immediately turned the position and its pay over to an assistant. Lincoln was the only President who served as a Postmaster.
On May 7, 1833, 24-year-old Lincoln was appointed Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois. Lincoln served until the office was closed May 30, 1836. Postal records show that Lincoln earned $55.70 as Postmaster in fiscal year 1835 and $19.48 for one quarter’s work in fiscal year 1837. Besides his pay, Lincoln, as Postmaster, could send and receive personal letters free and get one daily newspaper delivered free. Mail arrived once a week. If an addressee did not collect the mail, as was the custom, Lincoln delivered it personally — usually carrying the mail in his hat. Even then, Lincoln was “Honest Abe.”
Reportedly, when the New Salem Post Office was discontinued, Lincoln had a balance of $16 or $18, which he took with him to Springfield, Illinois. Months later, while his close friend Dr. A. G. Henry was visiting, a Post Office agent called on Lincoln to collect the funds. Henry knew that Lincoln had been in financial straits and feared that he might not have the money. Henry recalled that just as he was about to offer Lincoln a loan, the future President:
“. . . went over to his trunk at his boarding house, and returned with an old blue sock with a quantity of silver and copper coin tied up in it. Untying the sock, he poured the contents on the table and proceeded to count the coin, which consisted of such silver and copper pieces as the country-people were then in the habit of using in paying postage. On counting it up there was found the exact amount, to a cent, of the draft, and in the identical coin which had been received. He never used, under any circumstances, trust funds.”
Boat delivery on the Detroit River
SHIP
mail delivery
Ship Ahoy! The JW Westcott is a 45-foot contract mail boat out of Detroit that delivers mail to passing ships on the Detroit River. The JW Westcott has its own ZIP Code — 48222.
This is the J.W. Westcott II approaching a Canadian freighter on the Detroit River
Unusual Post Office – Peach Springs
Post Office
with walk-in freezers
The Peach Springs, AZ, Post Office has walk-in freezers for food destined for delivery by mule train to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Stamps in caves
STAMPS
in caves
No troglodytes here! The Stamp Fulfillment Service facility, located in Kansas City, MO, is located in a limestone cave 150 feet beneath the ground. It is the Postal Service’s only facility located underground.
The consistent, year-round temperatures and humidity levels in the caves allow the stamps to be maintained in mint-quality condition. The underground facility also keeps the inventory and employees safe from snow, flooding, winds and tornadic activity common in the Midwest.
Mr. ZIP
Mr.
ZIP
Mr. ZIP, who has no first name, appeared in many public service announcements and advertisements urging postal customers to use the five-digit ZIP Code that was initiated on July 1, 1963. Within four years of his appearance, eight out of ten Americans knew who Mr. ZIP was and what he stood for.
With the introduction of the nine-digit ZIP Code, or ZIP+4, in 1983, Mr. ZIP went into partial retirement. His image still was printed on the selvage of some sheets of stamps, but that practice ended in January 1986. Mr. ZIP still is used occasionally by the Postal Service.
Launch of internet site
1994
launched usps.com
The Postal Service launched usps.com in 1994.
1847
1847
First Stamps
1847 - U.S. postage stamps issued
The Post Office Department issued its first postage stamps on July 1, 1847. Previously, letters were taken to a Post Office, where the postmaster would note the postage in the upper right corner. The postage rate was based on the number of sheets in the letter and the distance it would travel. Postage could be paid in advance by the writer, collected from the addressee on delivery, or paid partially in advance and partially upon delivery.
On March 3, 1847, Congress authorized United States postage stamps. The first general issue postage stamps went on sale in New York City, July 1, 1847. One, priced at five cents, depicted Benjamin Franklin. The other, a ten-cent stamp, pictured George Washington. Clerks used scissors to cut the stamps from pregummed, nonperforated sheets. Only Franklin and Washington appeared on stamps until 1856, when a five-cent stamp honoring Thomas Jefferson was issued. A two-cent Andrew Jackson stamp was added in 1863. George Washington has appeared on more U.S. postage stamps than any other person.
1775
1775
First PMG
1775 - Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress
Label Broker
LABEL
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
Recycled Batteries
39,000
pounds of batteries
The Postal Service recycled 39,000 pounds of small lead-acid and dry cell batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, which are found in cellphones, laptops, scanners and other small electronics.
Recycled Oil
394,000
gallons of oil recycled
In 2023, the Postal Service recycled 394,000 gallons of used oil — equivalent to saving more than 16 million gallons of crude oil.
Bicycle Delivery
50
bicycle delivery routes
The Postal Service delivers mail by bicycle on 50 routes in Arizona and Florida - reducing emissions, saving fuel and the carriers can ride a bike all day!
Global Bargain
GLOBAL
bargain
The price of a First-Class postage stamp is a global bargain.
As of July 14, 2024
.POST Group
.POST
Group
The Postal Service is one of 37 members of the .POST Group. The UPU’s .POST Group, created in 2013, is a trusted internet domain, established exclusively for the global postal sector and sponsored by the UPU.
The mission of the .POST Group is to support posts in providing their customers with reliable and secure web services.
- The .POST Group promotes innovation, integration and inclusion of postal activities on a uniquely secure platform, employing a rigorous UPU community membership and authentication process to deliver a safe, uncompromised and trustworthy customer experience.
- More information can be found at upu.int/en/Universal-Postal-Union/About-UPU/Cooperatives-Boards/-POST-Group
Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative
Express Mail
Service Cooperative
The Postal Service is a member of the Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative. The EMS Cooperative was created by the UPU in 1999 and consists of 174 postal operators. It allows access to more than 180-member countries to provide EMS — the UPU’s fastest cross-border international postal product.
The Postal Service is a member of the Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative.
-
- The EMS Cooperative was created by the UPU in 1999 and consists of 174 postal operators. It allows access to more than 180-member countries to provide EMS — the UPU’s fastest cross-border international postal product.
- The EMS global network has the largest number of customer access points in the world, serving more than 5 billion citizens of member posts.
- EMS postal operators have the largest last mile coverage worldwide, supported by the postal delivery network.
- More information can be found at post/en/global-network.
Kahala Post Group (KPG)
Kahala
Post Group
The Postal Service is one of 11 members of the Kahala Post Group (KPG).
The Postal Service is one of 11 members of the Kahala Posts Group (KPG).
-
- The KPG is an international alliance of the world’s largest postal administrations that collaborate to improve international postal services.
- Launched in 2002 by six postal administrations, the KPG network accounts for almost half of the world’s internationally recognized Express Mail Service (EMS) traffic.
- More information can be found at com.
International Post Corporation (IPC)
INT'L
post corporation
The Postal Service is one of 25 members of the International Post Corporation (IPC). The IPC is a cooperative association of posts in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The Postal Service is one of 25 members of the International Post Corporation (IPC). The IPC is a cooperative association of posts in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
-
- Since 1989, the IPC has created solutions and services that are used by more than 180 posts worldwide and is the leading service provider of the global postal industry. Collectively, IPC members deliver 80-percent of global mail volumes — more than 330 billion mail pieces each year.
- More information can be found at ipc.be.
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
UNIVERSAL
Postal Union
The Postal Service is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a United Nations' organization.
The Postal Service is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a United Nations’ organization.
-
- Established in 1874, the UPU, is the second-oldest international organization worldwide. It is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.
- With its 192 member countries, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between posts. The UPU helps to ensure a truly universal network of products and services.
- More information can be found at int.
6 million pounds of mail fly each day
6 million
pounds of mail fly each day
The Postal Service uses 140 domestic airports to fly six million pounds of mail each day.
International Mail
$1.6 billion
International Mail revenue
International Mail is a $1.6 billion business for the Postal Service.
- Most of the International Mail revenue is generated from outbound services that allow customers in the United States to send mail and packages abroad.
- The Postal Service sends 5 million pounds of international, military, and diplomatic mail and packages weekly, using 80 international airlines, composed of 11 U.S. flag carriers and 14 foreign flag carriers, and their affiliates.
- Click-N-Ship allows customers to print shipping labels with postage for Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express International and First-Class Package International Service. For more information, go to com/ship/.
Global Profile
known
GLOBALLY
The Postal Service works closely with posts around the world to improve service and increase its annual share of the international shipping market.
-
- International Mail is a $1.6 billion business within the Postal Service.
- Most of the International Mail revenue is generated from outbound services that allow customers in the United States to send mail and packages abroad.
- The Postal Service sends 5 million pounds of international, military, and diplomatic mail and packages weekly, using 80 international airlines, composed of 11 U.S. flag carriers and 14 foreign flag carriers, and their affiliates.
- Click-N-Ship allows customers to print shipping labels with postage for Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express International and First-Class Package International Service. For more information, go to com/ship/.
Postal Service Diversity
POSTAL
diversity
The Postal Service workforce is one of the most diverse in the nation. We look like America. That is our strength.
The Postal Service is one of the most diverse organizations in the nation.
- Women make up 45 percent of our workforce.
- Historically underrepresented racial groups make up 53 percent of our workforce.
- Nearly 73,000 veterans are employed by the Postal Service.
- There are more than 39,000 employees with disabilities, of which nearly 29,000 are disabled veterans.
- We maintain a year-round focus on diversity and disability outreach.
First Female Postmaster General
FIRST
female PMG
The first female Postmaster General was Megan J. Brennan, Washington, DC, 2015.
First African American on a stamp
FIRST
African American on stamp
The first African American on a stamp was Booker T. Washington, 1940.
Surface Transportation
1.9 billion
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.
First Native American on a Stamp
FIRST
Native American on a stamp
The first Native American on a stamp was Pocahontas, 1907.
First Hispanic American on a Stamp
FIRST
Hispanic American on a stamp
The first Hispanic American on a stamp was Adm. David Farragut, 1903.
email messages
12.5 BILLION
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.
- With one of the largest corporate email systems, the Postal Service handled more than 6 million legitimate emails a day in 2023, delivered to more than 195,000 email accounts. But some emails are blocked due to:
- Spam: More than 2 million spam email messages were blocked monthly.
- Content: More than 1 millionemails were blocked monthly due to malicious content including phishing, brand spoofing and suspicious URLs being detected.
- Malware: More than 12,000 email messages were blocked monthly due to malware.
- Phishing: More than 815,000 phishing email messages were blocked monthly.
- On average, 5 percent of the 109 million email messages received from external senders were blocked monthly for the safety of the Postal Service network and email users.
First African American Postal Inspector
FIRST
African American Inspector
The first known African American postal inspector was Isaac Myers, Baltimore, MD, 1870.
Isaac Myers served from 1870 until 1879. During his employment he helped solve a number of notorious cases.
Blocking email
5 MILLION
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:
- Spam: More than 2 million spam email messages were blocked monthly.
- Content: More than 1 millionemails were blocked monthly due to malicious content including phishing, brand spoofing and suspicious URLs being detected.
- Malware: More than 12,000 email messages were blocked monthly due to malware.
- Phishing: More than 815,000 phishing email messages were blocked monthly.
- On average, 5 percent of the 109 million email messages received from external senders were blocked monthly for the safety of the Postal Service network and email users.
First American Woman on a Stamp
1st AMERICAN
woman on a stamp
The first American woman on a U.S. postage stamp was Martha Washington, 1902.
First Known African American Mail Carrier
FIRST
African American Carrier
The first known African American mail carrier was James B. Christian, Richmond, VA, 1869.
First Known African American Postmaster
FIRST KNOWN
African American Postmaster
The first known African American Postmaster was James W. Mason, Sunny Side, AR, 1867.
Petabytes of Storage
110
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.
First Known Female Mail Carrier
FIRST KNOWN
female mail carrier
The first known female mail carrier was Sarah Black, mail messenger, Charlestown, MD, 1845.
First Known Female Postmaster
First Female
postmaster
The first known female Postmaster in the United Colonies was Mary Katherine Goddard, Baltimore, MD, 1775.
U.S. Postal Service History
USPS
An American History
The United States Postal Service has a storied history, familiar to many. Our history is the history of America. Detailed information about the Postal Service and its history can be found in "The United States Postal Service: An American History" at https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/.
African American Postmasters
1860
African American Postmasters
African Americans worked as Postmasters, clerks and carriers beginning in the 1860s — 100 years before the Civil Rights era brought wider opportunity in the American workplace.
Women Postmasters
WOMEN
postmasters
Women served as Postmasters in this country more than a century before they won the right to vote.
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
Stamp Out
Hunger Food Drive
Every year, the Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers hold the largest one-day food drive in the nation. The program has collected more than 1.9 billion pounds of food since the campaign began in 1993.
Dog Bite Awareness
Dog Bite
Awareness Week
National Dog Bite Awareness Week. Thousands of carriers deliver to homes with dogs every day. The Postal Service promotes safety initiatives and shares prevention tips to protect employees and customers from dog bites. In 2023, 5,822 postal employees were bitten by dogs.
National Dog Bite Prevention Week addresses aggressive dog behaviors that pose serious threats to Postal Service employees delivering mail and how communities they serve can play a part in their safety.
Carrier Alert Program
CARRIER
ALERT program
As one of the few points of human contact for some home-bound customers, letter carriers are particularly attuned to signs that could indicate an accident or illness. If carriers notice something unusual, such as uncollected mail, at an at-risk customer’s home, the employee will alert emergency personnel. Carrier Alert began in 1982.
Shipping Container Post Office
Post Office
in a shipping container
The Power, MT (59468) Post Office, built in 2019, is the first Post Office built using a shipping container.
Leased Properties
22,873
leased properties
The Postal Service has 22,873 leased properties.
Postal Owned Properties
8,500
owned properties
The Postal Service owns 8,500 properties around the country.
The Original Social Network
The ORIGINAL
social network
The Postal Service is the original social network, but that doesn't mean we aren't represented on the other, newer social networks. You can find the Postal Service on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Facebook — facebook.com/usps
Twitter — twitter.com/usps
Instagram — instagram.com/uspostalservice
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/company/usps
YouTube — youtube.com/usps
We’re Patriotic
73,000
Veterans
We're patriotic. The Postal Service employs nearly 73,000 military veterans, making it one of the largest employers of veterans in the country.
The Postal Service has also issued more than 140 stamps honoring the nation’s military history, including the Service Cross Medals stamps.
Data driven
DATA
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.
Technology-enabled
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.
Empowered Workforce
EMPOWERED
workforce
The Postal Service encourages employees to take advantage of self-paced career development by offering 24,000 online courses and 28 educational partnerships offering discounts towards degree and certification programs.
We’re resilient
RESILIENT
and adaptable
We’re resilient. The Postal Service has a long and storied history of creating new technologies for the American people — enabling faster, more efficient communication and safer, more secure delivery of correspondence and merchandise.
For nearly two and a half centuries, the Postal Service has adapted to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
We’re customer-focused
CUSTOMER
focused
We’re customer focused. The Postal Service is committed to providing a positive customer experience.
With nearly 34,000 retail locations, more than 7 million daily visits on usps.com and serving 153.9 million residences and 12.6 million businesses typically six days a week, the Postal Service is committed to providing a positive customer experience.
We’re universal
UNIVERSAL
service
We're universal. Everyone living in the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the N. Mariana Islands) has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class Mail postage stamp regardless of the sender’s location.
Patently the Best
PATENTLY
the best
Patently the best. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued more than 500 patents to the United States Postal Service.
Trademarks
Leaving
our mark
Leaving a mark! The Postal Service has 385 domestic and 1,000 foreign trademark registrations.
Internet Domains
MASTER
of our domains
Master of our domains. The Postal Service owns 1,958 internet domains.
Unstaffed 24/7 Post Office
Unstaffed
24/7 Post Office
One of a kind. There is a 24-hour, unstaffed, self-service Post Office in Northern Virginia that allows customers to conduct most shipping and mailing transactions quickly and easily themselves. The self-service Post Office provides round-the-clock accessibility to PO Boxes, as well as self-service kiosks and an automated package drop.
In 2023, nearly 8,000 customers used this convenient office.
High-Flying Flags
Flags
at Post Offices
Post Offices were first required to display the American flag in 1885 to comply with Treasury Department instructions. On Nov. 7, 2019, Post Offices were required to fly the Prisoner of War (POW)-Missing In Action (MIA) flag on the same days that the American flag is flown.
In 2023, the Postal Service replaced 36,998 U.S. flags and 43,199 POW-MIA flags.
A Long, Storied History
History
of the USPS
The history of the Postal Service is a large story set on a broad canvas. It is intertwined with the history of America, and it provides a lens from which to observe the evolution of the United States. This story is told beautifully in The United States Postal Service: An American History (also known as Pub. 100).
Postal Bulletin
POSTAL
BULLETIN
On time. Every time. The Postal Bulletin, a nationally distributed biweekly publication, serves as a source for official policy, procedure updates and departmental news for all Postal Service functions. It has never missed a deadline since its inception in 1880.
Go to https://about.usps.com/resources/postal-bulletin.htm to browse past issues.
Annual operating revenue
$78.2 B
operating revenue
The Postal Service had $78.2 billion in operating revenue in 2023.
Total mail volume
116.2 B
total mail volume
Total mail volume in 2023 was 116.2 billion.
Total First-Class Mail volume
46 billion
First-Class Mail volume
In 2023, there were 46 billion pieces of First-Class Mail.
First-Class single piece mail volume
11.8 billion
First-Class single piece
In 2023, the Postal Service recorded 11.8 billion in First-Class single piece mail volume. First-Class single piece mail is mail bearing postage stamps — bill payments, personal correspondence, cards and letters, etc.
Postal Service-managed retail office revenue
$9.6 billion
post office revenue
In 2023 the Postal Service made $9.6 billion in revenue from postal-managed retail offices.
Total delivery routes
234,344
delivery routes
The Postal Service has 234,344 delivery routes across the United States.
Cost of First-Class Postage Stamp
73
CENTS
For 73 cents, anyone can send a letter, regardless of geographic location, to anywhere in the United States and its territories. (Stamp price effective July 14, 2024)
