How often have you wondered about the cost of a postage stamp? Have you ever considered what it costs to deliver that mail to you? When you consider all the costs, getting and sending mail is really a bargain!

According to the latest calculation of delivering mail, here is what it costs the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your mail on an annual basis:

• Mail delivered directly to the mailbox at your door costs $354 (that averages more than $1 per day)
• Mail delivered to the mailbox at the curb costs $225 (that averages a little more than 70 cents per day)
• Mail delivered to a mailbox in a central delivery area costs $161 (that averages 50 cents per day)

These figures are updated after the first of the year when the Department of Labor statistics are released.

Although postage normally increases each year, there will be no first-class mail increase in 2010—it will remain at 44 cents for a one-ounce letter. The Postal Service maintains the world’s largest civilian fleet of vehicles—for each 1 percent increase in fuel and natural gas costs the Postal Service incurs an additional $29 million in fuel related expenses. .

Have you tried shipping packages using the “if it fits, it ships” Priority boxes? The cost for shipping the “flat-rate boxes” are:

• small box, $4.95
• medium box (two sizes), $10.70
• large box, $14.50
• large box with APO address, $12.50

And, should you choose to use the online Click-N-Ship option with usps.com of printing labels and sending packages from your home or business, up to 14 percent of the postage can be saved.

For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location of the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com. To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the Post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.