The United States Postal Service has a storied history, familiar to many. It began with the Second Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin in 1775. It continued when the U.S. Constitution empowered Congress to establish Post Offices and post roads in 1787. Congress exercised those powers with the passage of the Post Office Act of 1792, which made postal services a permanent fixture of the federal government.
The act included provisions to facilitate freedom of the press, ensure the privacy of personal correspondence, and expand the nation’s physical infrastructure, all vital to the nation’s growth and prosperity. These principles and objectives endure. While email, the internet and social channels have forever altered information-gathering habits, postal correspondence remains a highly secure and resilient form of communication, providing the American people with a delivery infrastructure vital to national security.
The Postal Service’s status is unique: It is an independent agency of the executive branch, yet it is required to operate like a business. It generally does not receive tax revenues to support its operations and must compete for customers. The success of the Postal Service depends on a culture of operational precision, world-class performance, outstanding service and innovation.
The Postal Service retains the largest physical and logistical infrastructure of any non-military government institution, providing an indispensable foundation supporting an ever-changing and evolving nationwide communication network.
The Postal Service delivers more mail and packages than any other post in the world. We serve nearly 167 million addresses in this country — covering every state, city and town. Everyone living in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class Mail postage stamp, regardless of location.
We make the connections with friends and families and businesses and customers. We deliver to every community in America, from the biggest cities to the smallest villages. This is our public service mandate — to bind the nation together by providing secure, reliable, affordable delivery of mail and packages. It’s what we do!
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. Learn more
Enforcing the law. Established Aug. 7, 1775.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service enforces federal laws, prevents crimes and keeps customers, employees and the mail safe. Learn more
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.
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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.
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). Learn more
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. Learn more
We're essential. The Postal Service provides a vital public service, is a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure and was created by an act of Congress. Learn more
The Postal Service is diverse. The strength of the Postal Service lies in its amazing diversity. Historically underrepresented racial groups account for 53 percent of the workforce. Learn more
The top five pages, on usps.com in 2023, in order of popularity, were USPS Tracking, Informed Delivery, The Postal Store, COVID-19 tests and Post Office Locator. Learn more
The U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. Nope, it’s not this: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” But we certainly appreciate the sentiment.
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The Post Office Department was founded in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. His annual salary was $1,000. Before 1971, the PMG was a Cabinet member.
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. Learn more
We have heroes among us. Postal employees regularly go beyond the call of duty to protect the lives of the people they serve, including elderly or disabled customers through the Carrier Alert Program. Learn more
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)
We're self-funding. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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.
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With Package Pickup, you can go online to request Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail packages be picked up at your home or offices as part of your mail carrier’s regular route — for free.
In 2023, usps.com recorded 1.3 billion visits -- averaging more than 7 million visitors each day. It's one of the most frequently visited government sites.
In 2023, stamp and retail sales at The Postal Store, the official online Post Office, totaled nearly $403 million.
About Postal Facts
United States Postal Service - June 18, 2024
The Postal Service delivers for America. In fact, it’s been delivering for America for nearly 250 years. You know we deliver, but do you know exactly how much we deliver? Each year? Every day? Did you know there are postal programs designed to help the customers and communities we serve? That we are a seriously high-tech company but that we also have a Fleet of Feet and use mules to deliver, too? And did you know that the “ZIP” in ZIP Code is an acronym? You can find answers to these questions and so many more on this website.
Our history goes all the way back to the founding of the nation. On July 26, 1775, the U.S. postal system was established by the Second Continental Congress, with Benjamin Franklin as its first postmaster general. Franklin (1706-1790) put in place the foundation for many aspects of today’s mail system.
We’re proud to provide secure, reliable and affordable service to every address in the United States, its territories and its military and diplomatic installations worldwide. And consider this very important fact: Everyone in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class Mail postage stamp regardless of location.
Want even more information? We’re very social. You can connect with us in many ways, including:
Unless otherwise noted, all figures are based on the Postal Service’s 2023 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023). Trademarks
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
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
