facts.usps.comPostal Facts - U.S. Postal Service

P P O O S S T T A A L L F F A A C C T T S S  Map facts One day Years past Top facts Innovation Security Marketing People RetailHistory Size & Scope Stamps Common good Fun facts  Print all Postal Facts  2020 Companion PDF | Newspaper PDFIntroduction to Postal Facts The United States Postal Service has a storied history, familiar to many. It began with the Second Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin in 1775. It continued when the U.S. Constitution empowered Congress to establish Post Offices and post roads in 1787. Congress exercised those powers with the passage of the Post Office Act of 1792, which made postal services a permanent fixture of the federal government. The act included provisions to facilitate freedom of the press, ensure the privacy of personal correspondence, and expand the nation’s physical infrastructure, all vital to the nation’s growth and prosperity. These principles and objectives endure. While email, the internet and social channels have forever altered information-gathering habits, postal correspondence remains a highly secure and resilient form of communication, providing the American people with a delivery infrastructure vital to national security. The Postal Service’s status is unique: It is an independent agency of the executive branch, yet it is required to operate like a business. It generally does not receive tax revenues to support its operations and must compete for customers. The success of the Postal Service depends on a culture of operational precision, world-class performance, outstanding service and innovation. The Postal Service 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. The Postal Service delivers more mail and packages than any other post in the world. We serve nearly 167 million addresses in this country — covering every state, city and town. Everyone living in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class Mail postage stamp, regardless of location. We make the connections with friends and families and businesses and customers. We deliver to every community in America, from the biggest cities to the smallest villages. This is our public service mandate — to bind the nation together by providing secure, reliable, affordable delivery of mail and packages. It’s what we do! Highlights JUST 1 DAY in the Postal Service USPS | Updated: March 17, 2023 POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE USPS | Updated: March 17, 2023 GLOBAL bargain USPS | Updated: March 16, 2023 The ORIGINAL social network USPS | Updated: March 17, 2023 UNIVERSAL service USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 History of the USPS USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 POSTAL BULLETIN USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 we are ESSENTIAL USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 we are DIVERSE USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 Top 5 usps.com pages USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 About that motto USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 FIRST Postmaster General USPS | Updated: March 20, 2023 52 MILLION Informed Delivery Customers USPS | Updated: March 19, 2023 Mail is big business USPS | Updated: March 17, 2023 We have heroes among us USPS | Updated: March 17, 2023 63 CENTS USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 we are self funding USPS | Updated: March 8, 2023 443,700 handheld scanners USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 FREE package pickup USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 WHOA! Pony Express USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 3.6 billion usps.com visits USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 $95 million breast cancer research USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 $412 million online sales USPS | Updated: March 1, 2023 USPS JUST 1 DAY in the Postal Service Fun factsEach day the Postal Service picks up, processes and delivers millions of letters and packages. No single operation in the world comes close to this level of connectivity for so many households and businesses. Learn more * X USPS POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE Inspection service Enforcing the law. Established Aug. 7, 1775. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service enforces federal laws, prevents crimes and keeps customers, employees and the mail safe. Learn more * X Wikipedia GLOBAL bargain Marketing/Retail The price of a First-Class postage stamp is a global bargain. Learn more * X USPS The ORIGINAL social network Fun facts The Postal Service is the original social network, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t represented on the other, newer social networks. You can find the Postal Service on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Learn more * X USPS UNIVERSAL service Top facts We’re universal. Everyone living in the United States and its territories has access to postal products and services and pays the same for a First-Class Mail postage stamp regardless of the sender’s location. Learn more * X USPS History of the USPS History The history of the Postal Service is a large story set on a broad canvas. It is intertwined with the history of America, and it provides a lens from which to observe the evolution of the United States. This story is told beautifully in The United States Postal Service: An American History (also known as Pub. 100). Learn more * X POSTAL BULLETIN Fun facts On time. Every time. The Postal Bulletin, a nationally distributed biweekly publication, serves as a source for official policy, procedure updates and departmental news for all USPS functions. It has never missed a deadline since its inception in 1880. Learn more * X USPS we are ESSENTIAL Top facts We are essential. The Postal Service provides a vital public service, is a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure and was created by an act of Congress. Learn more * X USPS we are DIVERSE People We’re diverse. The strength of the Postal Service lies in its amazing diversity. Minorities make up 53 percent of the workforce. Learn more * X Top 5 usps.com pages Marketing/Retail The top five pages, on usps.com in 2022, in order of popularity, were USPS Tracking, COVID-19 tests, Informed Delivery, The Postal Store and Post Office Locator. Learn more * X About that motto People The U.S. Postal Service has no official motto. Nope, it’s not this: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” But we certainly appreciate the sentiment. Learn more * X National Portrait Gallery FIRST Postmaster General People The Post Office Department was founded in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. His annual salary was $1,000. Before 1971, the PMG was a Cabinet member. * X 52 MILLION Informed Delivery Customers Innovation With Informed Delivery service, you can digitally preview your incoming mail and manage your packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. More than 52 million customers have enrolled since it was launched in 2017. Learn more * X USPS Mail is big business People The U.S. Postal Service is the core of the nation’s $1.6 trillion mailing industry, which employs more than 7.3 million people. Learn more * X USPS We have heroes among us People We have heroes among us. Postal employees regularly go beyond the call of duty to protect the lives of the people they serve, including elderly or disabled customers through the Carrier Alert Program. Learn more * X 63 CENTS Stamps For 63 cents, anyone can send a letter, regardless of geographic location, to anywhere in the United States and its territories. Learn more * X USPS we are self funding Top facts We are self-funding. 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. * X 443,700 handheld scanners Innovation Our communications network supports and maintains more than 97,650 desktop computers, 86,460 notebook computers, 45,320 printers, 25,590 smartphones, 125,630 phone lines and 443,700...