WASHINGTON — 4/7/23 – The United States Postal Service reported new delivery performance metrics for the 13th week of the second quarter for fiscal year 2023 showing consistent or improved delivery performance across all mail categories. The average time for the Postal Service to deliver a mailpiece or package across the nation remained at just 2.5 days.
FY23 second quarter service performance scores covering Jan. 1 through March 31, included:
- First-Class Mail: 91.0% of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fiscal first quarter.
- Marketing Mail: 94.6% of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an increase of 0.7 percentage point from the fiscal first quarter.
- Periodicals: 86.6% of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an increase of 1.9 percentage points from the fiscal first quarter.
The Postal Service continues to make service delivery improvements. Currently, 97% of the nation’s population receives their mail in less than three days. This percentage recently improved, and USPS is working hard to correct service-related issues in the other limited areas.
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.
With the implementation of the Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service continues its focus on improving service reliability for the American public and business customers by modernizing the outmoded and aging postal network across the nation.
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The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.
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.
When I read this I have to wonder about those averages. I received two first class letters on March 23, 2023. I live in Minneapolis, MN. One letter was postmarked in St. Paul, MN on March 20 PM coming from Rochester, MN. One was postmarked in Minneapolis, MN March 20 PM coming from a suburb of Minneapolis, Edina, MN. They also took 2.5 days to deliver and they traveled 87 miles and 5 miles. How are they managing to get across the country in the same amount of time?
Hey Cathy – USPS has been delivering across the USA in 2-3 days for many many years. USPS mail is carried on both passenger and cargo planes. FedEx also provides air transportation for USPS domestic First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail, as well as some international mail. USPS moves mail with a combination of Postal Service vehicles and contracted air, rail, truck, and ground services.