Jan. 20, 2022

U.S. Postal Service Maintains Mailpiece Time Delivery Average of 2.7 Days Across the Network

  • For the week of January 8, service performance for Marketing Mail and Periodicals remained consistent with first quarter
  • First-Class Mail improving after being temporarily impacted by industrywide delays in ground and air transportation network following recent East Coast winter storms

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service reported new service delivery performance metrics through the second week of the fiscal second quarter showing Marketing Mail and Periodicals remaining consistent with first-quarter results. Scores for First-Class Mail were temporarily impacted during the week of Jan. 8-14 due to industrywide delays in both ground and air transportation following recent East Coast winter storms. These delays continue to impact middle mile transit across the network. The Postal Service continues to implement mitigation plans to move mail and packages effectively with performance showing signs of improvement.

From Jan. 1 through Jan. 14, the average time to deliver a mailpiece across the postal network was 2.7 days. 

Second quarter service performance scores covering the period Jan.1 through Jan. 14 included:

  • First-Class Mail: 86.6 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a decrease of 3 percentage points from the first quarter.
  • Marketing Mail: 91.7 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the first quarter.
  • Periodicals: 80.8 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the first quarter.

One of the goals of Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for achieving financial sustainability and service excellence, is to meet or exceed 95 percent on-time service performance for all mail and shipping products once all elements of the plan are implemented. Service performance is defined by the Postal Service as the time it takes to deliver a mailpiece or package from its acceptance into our system through its delivery, as measured against published service standards.

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.

###

USPS NEWS

Media contacts