Quarterly Performance for Single-Piece First-Class Mail®
Mailpieces Delivered Between 07/01/2018 and 09/30/2018

Overview

Since 1990, U.S. Postal Service® has contracted with a third-party vendor to measure First-Class Mail® service performance independently and objectively via the External First-Class Mail® Measurement System (EXFC). EXFC is an external sampling system measuring the time it takes from deposit of mail into a collection box or lobby chute until its delivery to a home or business. EXFC measures the transit time for single-piece rate First-Class™ cards, letters, and flat envelopes and compares this actual service against service standards. EXFC continuously tests service in 892 three-digit ZIP Code™ areas among which virtually all Single-Piece First-Class Mail® originates and destinates.

Single-Piece First-Class Mail® parcels were classified as a competitive product effective for pieces mailed on or after September 3, 2017; therefore, Single-Piece First-Class Mail® parcel results are no longer included in Single-Piece First-Class Mail® reporting.

Service performance measurement was suspended for mail originating from or destined to Caribbean District in FY 2018 Quarter 1 and FY 2018 Quarter 2 due to the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Measurement resumed in FY 2018 Quarter 3.

Performance Highlights

In FY 2018 Quarter 4, national Single-Piece First-Class Mail® Two-Day performance was 94.4 percent on time and national Three-To-Five-Day performance was 86.5 percent on time. Both scores were 0.8 points lower than the same period last year. Nationally, at least 99.2 percent of mail across all service standards was delivered within the service standard plus three days in FY 2018 Quarter 4.

In FY 2018 Quarter 4 at the district level, there were three districts that scored at or above the performance target of 96.50 for Two-Day: Dakotas, Oklahoma, and Western New York. Western New York had the highest Two-Day performance at 97.1 percent on time. Two-Day performance improved for 14 out of 67 districts compared to the same period last year. Western Pennsylvania had the highest Three-To-Five-Day performance at 90.5 percent on time. Three-To-Five-Day performance improved for 22 out of 67 districts compared to the same period last year.

The FY 2018 annual national Two-Day performance was 93.8 percent on time, a 0.9 percent decrease from the prior year. Three-To-Five-Day annual national performance for FY 2018 was 82.5 percent on time, a 3.1 percent decrease from the prior year.