About the United States Postal Service

We connect the nation

The U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: Nearly 167 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. 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.

Mission statement

Adopted by the Board of Governors on April 1, 2020

Our history

The United States Postal Service has a storied history as the institution of our Government guaranteeing safe and secure communication among and between the Government and the American people.

Many are familiar with our history, which began with the Second Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin in 1775 and continued in 1787 when the Postal Clause of the U.S. Constitution empowered Congress to establish post offices and post roads. Congress exercised those powers with the passage of The Post Office Act of 1792, which made the Postal Service a permanent fixture of the Federal Government. The Act included provisions to facilitate freedom of the press, the privacy of personal correspondence, and expand the nation’s physical infrastructure, all vital to our nation’s growth and prosperity.

These principles and objectives endure. While radio, television and the Internet have irrevocably altered our information-gathering habits, postal correspondence remains the most secure and resilient form of communication, providing the American People with a delivery infrastructure vital to our National Security.

USPS retains the largest physical and logistical infrastructure of any non-military government institution, providing an indispensable foundation supporting an ever changing and evolving nationwide communication network. Capitalizing on its expertise in scheduling and high-volume sorting, USPS also serves a vital role enabling digital commerce.

Our mission

• To serve the American people and, through the universal service obligation, bind our nation together by maintaining and operating our unique, vital and resilient infrastructure.
• To provide trusted, safe and secure communications and services between our Government and the American people, businesses and their customers, and the American people with each other.
• To serve all areas of our nation, making full use of evolving technologies.

Carrying out our mission

To meet this Mission we will:

• Remain an integral part of the United States Government, providing all Americans with universal and open access to our unrivalled delivery and storefront network.
• Maintain and enhance our reputation and role as a trusted face of the federal government in every community and provide all levels of government with access to our network and services.
• Provide frequent, reliable, safe and secure delivery of mail, packages and other communications to all Americans.
• Use technology, innovation and where appropriate private sector partnerships, to optimize and adapt our network, operations and business model to meet the changing needs of our customers and delivery recipients, while maintaining our core mission.
• Operate in a modern, efficient and effective manner that allows us to minimize what we charge for our services, consistent with meeting, in a fair way, our obligations to our current and retired employees and other stakeholders.
• Remain an employer of choice, able to attract, retain and develop high quality employees that possess the skills necessary to excel in a rapidly changing business environment.