Postal Facts - U.S. Postal Service
The Postal Service delivers more mail to more addresses in a larger geographical area than any other post in the world. We deliver to more than 157 million addresses in every state, city and town in the country. Everyone living in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class postage stamp regardless of their location.
All figures are for fiscal year.
**Mail bearing postage stamps — bill payments, personal correspondence, cards and letters, etc.
***Includes Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, First-Class Packages, Package Services, Parcel Return Service and Parcel Select.
| |
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
Operating revenue |
$69.6 B | $71.4 B | $68.8 B | $67.8 B | $67.3 B | $65.2 B | $65.7 B | $67.1 B | $68 B | $74.9 B |
Retail revenue |
12.9 B | 13.5 B | 19.2 B | 19 B | 18.3 B | 17.5 B | 16.9 B | 17.5 B | 17.7 B | 18.7 B |
Postal Service-managed retail office revenue |
9.9 B | 10.2 B | 10.4 B | 10.7 B | 10.8 B | 10.7 B | 10.9 B | 12.1 B | 12.7 B | 13.7 B |
Alternate access revenue |
$3.1 B | 3.2 B | 8.8 B | 8.3 B | 7.5 B | 6.8 B | 6 B | 5.4 B | 5.1 B | 5 B |
Alternate access revenue percentage |
23.75 % | 23 % | 45.7 % | 43.7 % | 41 % | 39.1 % | 35.5 % | 30.7 % | 28.6 % | 26.8 % |
| |
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
Career employees |
503,103 | 508,908 | 491,863 | 488,300 | 491,017 | 528,458 | 557,251 | 583,908 | 623,128 | 663,238 |
Mail volume |
149.5 B | 154.3 B | 154.3 B | 155.5 B | 158.2 B | 159.8 B | 168.3 B | 170.9 B | 176.7 B | 202.7 B |
First-Class Mail volume |
58.7 B | 61.2 B | 62.6 B | 63.8 B | 65.8 B | 68.7 B | 72.5 B | 77.6 B | 82.7 B | 90.7 B |
First-Class Single Piece Mail volume** |
18.5 B | 19.7 B | 20.7 B | 21.8 B | 22.6 B | 23.2 B | 25.8 B | 28.9 B | 31.6 B | 35.4 B |
Shipping/Package volume*** |
5.7 B | 5.2 B | 4.5 B | 4 B | 3.7 B | 3.5 B | 3.3 B | 3.1 B | 3.1 B | 3.3 B |
| |
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
Marketing mail volume |
78.3 B | 80.9 B | 80 B | 80.3 B | 80.8 B | 79.5 B | 84.0 B | 81.8 B | 81.8 B | 98.4 B |
Delivery points |
157.3 M | 156.1 M | 155 M | 153.9 M | 152.9 M | 152.1 M | 151.5 M | 150.9 M | 150.1 M | 149.2 M |
Address changes |
36.8 M | 37 M | 37 M | 34.4 M | 38.8 M | 39.7 M | 39.9 M | 41.5 M | 43.8 M | 46 M |
Post offices (Postal Service-managed) |
30,825 | 31,585 | 31,606 | 31,662 | 31,702 | 31,857 | 32,146 | 32,528 | 32,662 | 32,741 |
All retail offices |
34,340 | 35,423 | 35,520 | 35,649 | 35,434 | 35,369 | 35,756 | 36,222 | 36,496 | 36,723 |
| |
2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
Retail customer visits |
857.1 M | 877.4 M | 919.5 M | 948.7 M | 989.1 M | 986.2 M | 1.02 B | 1.06 B | 1.12 B | 1.16 B |
Total delivery routes |
228,483 | 229,104 | 226,777 | 224,365 | 225,152 | 227,000 | 228,160 | 230,600 | 232,900 | 244,800 |
Total vehicles |
230,939 | 227,896 | 214,933 | 211,264 | 211,654 | 212,530 | 213,881 | 215,625 | 218,684 | 221,047 |
Trademarks
The Eagle Logo, the trade dress of USPS packaging, the Letter Carrier Uniform and the Postal Truck and the following word marks are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service®:
Certified Mail®, Click-N-Ship®, Every Door Direct Mail®, Express Mail®, First-Class™, First-Class Mail®, Forever®, Global Express Guaranteed®, gopost®, Intelligent Mail®, Metro Post®, Parcel Select®, PO Box™, Post Office™, PostalOne!®, Postal Police®, Postal Service™, Premium Forwarding Service® , Priority Mail®, Priority Mail Express®, Priority Mail Express International®, Priority Mail Flat Rate®, Priority Mail International®, Priority: You®, Registered Mail™, Return For Good®, 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 Tracking®, USPS.COM®, ZIP + 4®, and ZIP Code™. This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.
Postal Facts provides the public with information about the Postal Service. The facts in this publication may be reproduced for the purpose of stating the fact itself, and in a business, informational, 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.
Special thanks to the Postal Facts 2018 editors:
Sue Brennan, Ilze Sella, Megan Plummer, Ashley Holmes Mullenix, Tatiana Roy, Carl Walton
Website design by:
Scott Tracy
Visit about.usps.com for more information.
Produced by Corporate Communications
© 2016-2018 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
