Overview
Beginning FY2019 Q1, service performance for Single-Piece First-Class Mail® is measured through the USPS® internal measurement system. The system combines scanning of mailpieces by postal personnel at randomly selected collection and delivery points with in-process machine scans for all eligible mail to estimate total transit time for the mail. The total transit is comprised of three legs: collection to initial automated processing, known as Leg 1; initial processing to final automated processing, known as Leg 2; and final processing to delivery, known as Leg 3. The estimated transit-time is compared against Single-Piece First-Class Mail® service standards to determine the percent of mail delivered on time.
Scores prior to FY2019 Q1 were calculated via the External First-Class Mail® Measurement System (EXFC). EXFC was an external sampling system that measured the time it took from deposit of mail into a collection box or lobby chute until its delivery to a home or business.
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.
Single-Piece First-Class Mail® Letters/Postcards includes business reply mail beginning May 21, 2022.
Performance Highlights
In FY2026 Quarter 1, national Single-Piece First-Class Mail® Two-Day performance was 84.7 percent on time, national Three-Day performance was 78.4 percent on time, national Four-Day performance was 74.7 percent on time and national Five-Day performance was 87.4 percent on time.
Nationally, at least 96.8 percent of mail across all service standards was delivered within the service standard plus three days in FY2026 Quarter 1.
In FY2026 Quarter 1, at the district level, there were 20 districts that scored at or above the performance target of 87.0 for Two-Day. Alaska had the highest Two Day performance at 96.2 percent on time. Hawaii had the highest Three-Day performance at 96.6 percent on time, Alaska had the highest Four-Day performance at 94.1 percent on time and California 4 had the highest Five-Day performance at 92.8 percent on time.