Mail is Taking Longer to Deliver—We Looked at Why

USPS has a tough balancing act. It must offer prompt, reliable, and efficient deliveries to everyone in the U.S. (even those who live off the beaten path) while also supporting itself financially. But USPS has not been able to balance these competing demands over the last 20 years. It has lost money almost every year since 2007. 

In 2021, USPS launched its Delivering for America plan. This 10-year strategic plan aimed to improve service while cutting costs and moving USPS toward financial self-sufficiency. Three initiatives under this plan have directly affected delivery times: 

Air to ground transportation. USPS shifted mail volume from air to ground transportation to reduce expenses. But ground transportation can add time to deliveries. To compensate, USPS lengthened some First-Class Mail delivery time estimates. 

Processing and delivery network redesign. USPS is building and updating facilities to create regional hubs that it hopes will improve its efficiency. But some regional facility rollouts have also caused service delays. 

Regional transportation changes. Some mail drop-off locations that are farther from regional processing centers stopped end-of-day or afternoon collection. This means that mail dropped off after the morning pickup sits until the next business day. For customers, the result is that some First-Class Mail now has an extra day or two built into its expected delivery time.  

Who’s feeling the impact of changes the most? Rural residents may be feeling the impact of changes the most. Rural post offices are often farther from regional processing centers. As a result, they are more likely to be affected by the changes to end-of-day or afternoon collection.  

USPS has set new service goals, but it’s not meeting them 

• Uses its annual performance assessment that links service results, like on-time delivery, to employee compensation.  

• Created a Chief Performance Office. This office develops diagnostic tools and dashboards and participates in regular service-performance meetings. 

But despite these changes, many deliveries are still missing their target times. Specifically, USPS has missed most First-Class Mail service targets since 2022, even after standards were lowered to account for the impact of new initiatives.  

USPS’s Service Performance for Selected First-Class Mail Products, Fiscal Years 2021-2025

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What should USPS do to improve? Longer delivery times can matter for time-sensitive mail—including bill payments, medications, and tax filings. Customers need clear information about what USPS’s operational changes mean for them. 

We think USPS should provide more of that information to Congress and the public. And we recommended that it do so in its next strategic plan update—due in 2027. This should include information on planned service improvements, their expected effects, and challenges USPS faces in improving performance. 

This information will help Congress, customers, regulators, and other stakeholders understand what USPS is doing and what results to expect. 

For more on USPS service performance and what it means for you, see our latest report.  

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