WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service reported updated fiscal fourth quarter service delivery performance that showed continued improvements versus the third quarter ended June 30 for all First-Class, Marketing and Periodical mail categories.

Quarter-to-date service performance data for July 1 through August 27 included:

• First-Class Mail: Delivered 88.8 percent of First-Class Mail on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 1.3 percentage points from the third quarter.
• Marketing Mail: Delivered 92.8 percent of Marketing Mail on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 1.8 percentage points from the third quarter.
• Periodicals: Delivered 82.8 percent of Periodicals on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 3.5 percentage points from the third quarter.

For the week of Aug. 21-27, the Postal Service achieved its highest level of service performance ever recorded for the Marketing Mail category (94.1%).

Since pandemic lows, the Postal Service’s demand for and delivery of Marketing Mail has experienced a recovery. In the third quarter, revenue for Marketing Mail rose by approximately $1.0 billion, or 42.2 percent, on volume growth of approximately 4.3 billion pieces, or 38.6 percent, versus a year ago. Marketing Mail, which has historically been a resilient marketing channel, has reestablished its value with many U.S. businesses as the economy has continued to recover from last year’s pandemic-triggered downturn and customers have realized benefits from investments in data and technology.

During the week of Aug. 21-27, the Postal Service quickly prepared for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 hurricane, which made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29 and continues to impact the Gulf and East coasts. Due to the hurricane, future network service delays may occur as the storm temporarily suspended USPS operations in parts of Louisiana and other Gulf Coast locations.

The Postal Service has a long history of preparing and responding to natural disasters and is working closely with the Postal Inspection Service to assess facilities, deliver supplies and fuel, and secure safe mail service in areas affected by Hurricane Ida, with the top objective being minimizing service disruptions and restoring a sense of normalcy to impacted communities.

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.

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