The U.S. Postal Service reported fourth-quarter service delivery performance data through the first three weeks of July that showed sustained improvement across all First-Class, Marketing and Periodical mail categories from the third quarter ended June 30.
Fourth-quarter service performance for July 1 through July 23 included:
- First-Class Mail: Delivered 89.3 percent of First-Class Mail on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of nearly 2 percentage points from the third quarter.
- Marketing Mail: Delivered 92.4 percent of Marketing Mail on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 1.4 percentage points from the third quarter.
- Periodicals: Delivered 82.8 percent of Periodicals on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 3.6 percentage points from the third quarter.
Notably, for the week of July 17- 23, Marketing Mail reached the highest service performance level (93.7 percent) reported for that category in nearly five years, since the week of August 20-26, 2016 (93.9 percent).
“We are working tirelessly across our network and with our industry partners to improve service performance for all mail and packages. The numbers are trending in the right direction – particularly for First-Class and Marketing Mail – but there is much more work to be done,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “We are steadfast in our commitment and focused on delivering the reliable and consistent service our industry customers and the American public expect and deserve.”
The Postal Service’s recent service delivery improvements have been, in part, the result of a strategic shift to more ground deliveries, decreasing the agency’s reliance on the limited cargo capacities of third-party air carriers.
Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for financial sustainability and service excellence, seeks to meet or exceed its goal of 95 percent on-time service performance for all mail and shipping product delivery based on standards as all elements of the plan are implemented.
