“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” (Herodotus)

This inscription on the James A. Farley Building in New York City is universally known and often assumed to be the official motto of the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service and its employees have proudly embraced this notion of service in the face of all possible adversity. From the Pony Express through Hurricane Katrina and into the blizzards of 2010, the Postal Service constantly builds on its mission of providing universal service to all Americans. From the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the furthermost point in Alaska, mail gets through.

What Americans may not know is that mail is delivered to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on mules. Or that the smallest Post Office in America is only 61 square feet. Or that 405,000 pieces of mail are processed every minute. Or that 44,000 alternate fuel–capable vehicles help deliver the mail. Or that the Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Federal Agency in the country. Five consecutive times.

The United States Postal Service welcomes you to “Postal Facts 2010.”

SIZE AND SCOPE

The United States Postal Service delivers more mail to more addresses in a larger geographical area than any other post in the world. We deliver to more than 150 million homes, businesses and Post Office boxes in every state, city, town and borough in this country. Everyone living in the U.S. and its territories has access to postal services and pays the same postage regardless of his or her location.

By the Numbers

1. 68 billion — revenue in 2009, in dollars
2. 177 billion — total number of mail pieces processed in 2009
3. 584 million — average number of mail pieces processed each day
4. 24 million — average number of mail pieces processed each hour
5. 405,000 — average number of mail pieces processed each minute
6. 6,761 — average number of mail pieces processed each second
7. 40 — percentage of the world’s card and letter mail volume handled by USPS
8. 2.1 billion — dollar amount paid every 2 weeks in salaries and benefits
9. 596,000 — number of career employees
10. 218,684 — number of vehicles in our fleet the largest civilian fleet in the world
11. 1.1 billion — dollar amount spent on fuel in 2009
12. 1.25 billion — number of miles driven each year by our letter carriers and truck drivers
13. 444 million — number of gallons of fuel used in 2009
14. 36,400 — number of postal retail locations nationwide
15. 14 — percent of the nation’s population that moves annually
16. 43.8 million — number of address changes processed in 2009
17. 1.1 million — number of people who visit usps.com each day
18. 222 million — amount of stamp and retail sales online at usps.com
19. 390 million — total revenue from Click-N-Ship label purchases
20. 7.3 million — number of passport applications accepted in 2009
21. 135.1 million — number of money orders issued in 2009
22. 252,000 — number of daily transactions processed on 2,500 APCs
23. 548 million — amount in revenue generated from APC transactions
24. 58,288 — number of stores, banks and ATMs that sell postage stamps
25. 923,595 — number of new delivery points added to the network in 2009
26. 0 — tax dollars received for operating the Postal Service

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Our customers are at the center of everything we do. With their needs in mind, we’re making sure mail remains relevant, safe and private — and continues to provide value for generations to come.

The Postal Service Online

• usps.com is one of the most frequently visited government sites, with more than 413 million visits in 2009 — averaging 1.1 million visitors each day.
• usps.com was rated 3rd in America’s Most Trusted Sites in Privacy by the Ponemon Institute and TRUSTe in 2009.
• The Postal Store is the nation’s official online Post Office, featuring sales of postage stamps, stationery, philatelic collectibles and other gift items.
• In 2009, stamp and retail sales at the Postal Store totaled more than $222 million.
• Click-N-Ship (CNS) allows customers to print shipping labels with postage for Priority Mail, Express Mail, Priority Mail International, Global Express Guaranteed and Express Mail International. CNS generated $390 million in sales in 2009.
• CardStore, Premium Postcards and Click2Mail allow customers to create and send customized mailings from the convenience of their personal computer.
• Internet Change-of-Address allows customers to change their address, sign up for various services and order moving supplies from their personal computers.
• Hold Mail Service allows customers to have their mail held safely at their local Post Office while they are away from home. Scheduling can be done online.
• With Carrier Pickup, customers can go online to request Express Mail and Priority Mail packages be picked up at their home or office — for free.
• In order of popularity, the top five areas visited on usps.com in 2009 were:
  1. ZIP Code Lookup
  2. Track & Confirm
  3. Calculate Postage
  4. PO Locator
  5. Change of Address

National Postal Forum

The National Postal Forum is the mailing industry’s premier educational venue, trade show and networking event for industry professionals. Since 1968, it has provided business mailers with ongoing training and education, and helped them keep pace with the mailing industry’s rapid progress. Held once a year in the spring, the Forum is a combination educational conference/trade show offering a wide range of opportunities for attendees. Currently, more than 6,000 industry professionals attend the National Postal Forum each year and participate in more than 140 workshops on the hottest issues facing the mailing industry. For more information, go towww.npf.org.

Quick, Easy, Convenient Service

• Automated Postal Centers (APCs) provide customers with self-service access to the most frequently purchased postal products and services, such as buying stamps, weighing packages, purchasing postage and renewing Post Office boxes.
• In 2009, there were 92 million transactions on 2,500 APCs, which generated more than $548 million in revenue. Since the APCs were launched in 2004, they have generated more than $2 billion in revenue and use virtually no postal resources.
• If it fits it ships! Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes virtually eliminate the need to weigh packages or calculate postage. Low, flat rates and four different boxes to choose from let customers ship up to 70 pounds anywhere in the U.S., or up to 20 pounds to other countries.
• Shipping supplies are free. Tape, labels, international mailing products and even customs forms are available at no charge. Choose from a variety of Priority Mail and Express Mail envelopes and boxes.
• Going away for a while? Take your mailbox with you. Premium Forwarding Service forwards all of your mail from your permanent address to a temporary address once a week.
• Redelivery Service allows customers to schedule the delivery of the package they missed.
• Working with the Department of State, the Postal Service accepted 7.3 million passport applications in 2009, generating $232.4 million in revenue.
• There are more than 200 Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) across the country offering regular meetings, education programs, mailer clinics and seminars. For more information, go to usps.com/pcc or e-mail pcc@usps.gov.

PEOPLE, COMMUNITY, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The United States Postal Service is part of the fabric of this nation. Our employees make a difference in every community across the country.

• Each year, postal employees around the country risk their own safety to save the lives of the customers they serve. In 2009, the Postal Service recognized 202 employee heroes.
• Each year, the Postal Service participates in National Dog Bite Prevention Week. This public safety campaign builds awareness concerning animal attacks.
• Postal employees pledge an average of $38 million annually to the Combined Federal Campaign.
• For nearly 100 years, postal employees, charitable groups, corporations and individuals volunteer every season to help children and families in need have happy holidays by answering letters to Santa.
• Sales of the Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp have raised more than $67.8 million in voluntary contributions for breast cancer research since July 1998, and sales of the stamp have been extended until 2011.
• In 2009, 30 billion stamps were printed. These stamps reflect the American experience and highlight our values, heroes, history, achievements and natural wonders in a collection of miniature works of art.
• The Postal Service and National Association of Letter Carriers hold the largest 1-day food drive in the nation. In 2009, more than 73.4 million pounds of food were collected. More than 982 million pounds of food have been collected since the drive began 17 years ago.
• The Postal Service, National Marrow Donor Program and Be the Match Foundation created the Delivering the Gift of Life campaign 13 years ago. More than 49,000 postal employees and their families have joined the donor registry. In 2009, the Postal Service received the first “Rod Carew Award for Leadership” for having saved more lives through marrow donation (80) than any other organization.
• Working with Valassis, the “Have You Seen Me” campaign demonstrates the power of the mail. The campaign has returned 149 missing children to their families (as of Dec. 31, 2009).
• In 2009, for the 5th consecutive year, the Postal Service was named the top federal agency for multi-cultural business opportunities by diversitybusiness.com. This award represents the voices of more than 650,000 U.S. women- and minority-owned businesses.

SECURITY. LAW ENFORCEMENT. PRESERVING THE TRUST.

Postal Inspectors are mandated to safeguard the entire postal system — from the nearly 596,000 employees who process and deliver the mail, to the millions of customers who use it.

• One of the country’s oldest federal law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a long, proud and successful history of protecting the Postal Service, securing the nation’s mail system and ensuring public trust in the mail.
• In 2009, Postal Inspectors arrested over 7,000 suspects for crimes involving the mail or against the Postal Service. More than half of the arrests were related to mail theft, and nearly 1,300 involved mail fraud.
• Postal Inspectors serve on the President’s Identity Theft Task Force, Financial Crimes Task Force and Identity Theft and Economic Crimes Task Force. They work closely with the financial services and mail order industries to maintain America’s confidence in the U.S. Mail.
• Postal Inspectors are leading a global initiative to protect consumers from counterfeit check scams. To date, the initiative has stopped nearly 800,000 fake checks worth nearly $2.7 billion from entering the U.S. For additional information, go to www.fakechecks.org.
• In 2009, Postal Inspectors responded to nearly 1,400 incidents involving suspicious items — 268 incidents involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
• Postal Inspectors arrested 50 suspects and convicted 46 of them for placing IEDs in mailboxes.
• Postal Inspectors use state-of-the-art screening equipment to address reports of hazardous substances and suspicious mail, ensuring safety at postal facilities while keeping the mail moving.
• The Postal Service spends million of dollars annually on mail transportation equipment, such as pallets and tubs. In 2009, Postal Inspectors recovered $2.1 million worth of this type of equipment that had either been stolen or was being misused.
• Postal Inspectors prevented more than 12,000 online fraudulent transactions, valued at $1.7 million, from taking place on usps.com.
• Postal Inspectors work closely with retail, finance, shipping and pharmaceutical companies to mitigate fraud in the U.S. Mail. In 2009, nearly $9 million worth of fraudulent packages were blocked by the Inspection Service.
• To quickly respond to major incidents such as natural disasters, the Inspection Service has 18 mobile command centers and a mobile mail-screening station ready for action.
• Postal Inspectors presented nearly 988 mail safety seminars for employees, media, government agencies and other law enforcement groups.
• In 2009, Postal Inspectors seized from the mail more than $4 million in proceeds related to illegal drugs.

SUSTAINABILITY

The United States Postal Service is committed to actions that promote sustainability — meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future. We are working to create a culture of conservation among our 596,000 employees in more than 33,000 postal-operated facilities.

The Postal Service has the largest green roof in New York City.

Protecting the Environment

The Postal Service is the only shipping company that has earned Cradle to Cradle Certification for the environmentally friendly design and manufacturing of its stamps and Priority Mail and Express Mail boxes and envelopes. In 2009, the Postal Service received certification for its popular stamped envelopes and postcards.

Since 1995, the Postal Service has won more than 75 major environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle Awards for environmental stewardship, the 2009 Climate Action Champion Award and the 2009 Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year Award.

The Postal Service is helping to prevent prescription drugs from contaminating natural resources in Maine by partnering with state agencies to launch the nation’s first program allowing consumers to dispose of excess pharmaceuticals by mail.

Mail is delivered by bicycle in locations throughout Arizona and Florida, reducing emissions and saving fuel.

Three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles are being tested in Florida, California, Arizona, and Washington, D.C. The T-3 has a 40-mile range and a maximum speed of 12 mph and can carry 450 pounds. It averages 4 cents a mile in energy costs and has zero emissions.

Two-ton electric vehicles have been delivering mail in New York City since 2001.

More than $5 million in revenue was generated last year through aggressive recycling and waste prevention.

We have a “fleet of feet”— 20% of our letter carriers deliver mail on foot, after driving to neighborhoods first. Over 10,000 of them never get in a vehicle at all.

More than 200,000 tons of wastepaper, cardboard, cans, plastics and other materials are recycled annually through nationwide recycling and waste prevention programs.

The mail is an easy and efficient way to recycle items that, if disposed of improperly, could cause harm to the environment. We are piloting a free mail-back program allowing consumers to mail used electronic items such as PDAs, cell phones and ink cartridges for recycling.

We are working with OSRAM SYLVANIA and Veolia Environmental Services to help consumers properly recycle used compact fluorescent lamps.

The Postal Service is the first government agency to publicly report its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to receive third-party verification of the results.

Conserving Energy

The Postal Service has one of the largest civilian solar photo-voltaic systems in the country. Photo-voltaics convert sunlight directly into electricity.

The Postal Service is installing energy-saving systems in facilities around the country, including photo-voltaics, solar panels, geothermal panels and wind turbines.

Detailed energy audits are ongoing at our largest energy-consuming facilities. These facilities represent about 40 million square feet of space and roughly 60% of the Postal Service’s energy consumption.

More than 1 trillion BTUs of potential energy reductions have already been identified and projects that will save 400 billion BTUs have been completed.

We operate the world’s largest fleet of alternative fuel–capable vehicles — more than 44,000 — that can use clean fuels such as ethanol, compressed natural gas, liquid propane gas, electricity and bio-diesel.

We are testing hybrid and fuel cell–powered vehicles, which emit pure water from their tailpipes.

In 2009, 4,800 computer monitors at remote encoding centers were replaced with monitors using newer technology, reducing energy use by 85%.

Building Green

The Postal Service has the largest green roof in New York City and one of the largest in the country, totaling 109,000 square feet, nearly 2.5 acres.

Postal facilities are becoming greener. New buildings are being constructed and older buildings are being renovated with the environment in mind, using green-friendly features like:

• Recycled fiberglass insulation
• Natural lighting
• Thermal window frames
• Solar electric systems
• Solar thermal systems
• Water tanks to harvest rainwater for reuse
• Vegetative roofs

We’ve embarked on increasing sustainability in our facilities with features like high efficiency lighting and HVAC, recycled building materials, low water usage fixtures and low VOC materials.

Native plant species are used in landscaping at postal facilities around the country to minimize the use of valuable resources.

We are upgrading our buildings to reduce energy use. Our objective is to reduce our energy consumption 30% by 2015.

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

From the telegraph, to the telephone, to the terabyte, the U.S. Mail has complemented every new technology.

Information Technology

• The Postal Service has the world’s third-largest computing infrastructure.
• The Postal Service maintains the world’s largest Intranet.
• The Postal Service has one of the world’s largest e-mail systems, nearly 16 million e-mails a day — or 4.4 billion e-mail messages annually — are delivered to nearly 207,000 e-mail accounts.
• The Postal Service has a total inventory of 939 applications with 478 classified as national applications. 275 of those are considered critical to postal business functions.
• There are 5,286 remote locations within the postal system that receive Internet service via satellite.
• Our communications network supports and maintains nearly 127,600 desktop computers, 15,400 notebook computers, 85,000 printers, more than 9,300 Blackberrys, 162,000 phone lines and 352,000 hand-held scanners.
• The Postal Service maintains 35,000 informational pages on its website, usps.com.
• The Postal Service stores more than 2 petabytes of data online — equivalent to more than 4,000 years of songs on an MP3 player with no repeats. We have the capacity to store more than 10 petabytes.
• MeetingPlace currently hosts more than 27,000 meetings per month, reducing travel costs and making meetings as easy as a phone call or computer click away.
• The Postal Service maintains 54,000 Point of Sale (POS) terminals nationwide.
• 355 million internal e-mail messages and more than 13 million external e-mail messages are scanned for viruses every month.
• There are more than 60,000 e-mail messages blocked monthly due to viruses and more than 38,000 blocked due to content.
• The Postal Service has nearly 284,000 vendors doing nearly $16 billion in business annually using electronic money transfer.
• More than 330 million credit card transactions are processed annually in Post Offices and through the Postal Service’s website, usps.com.

Innovative Technologies

• The Postal Service uses more than 11,000 pieces of automated processing equipment to sort nearly half the world’s mail volume.
• Intelligent Mail increases the value of mail for both the Postal Service and its customers. The Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) identifies pieces of mail, and trays, sacks and containers of mail and tracks them through the processing system.
• In 2009, the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) automatically intercepted and forwarded more than 2.5 billion pieces of mail for the more than 47 million postal customers who submitted address changes in 2009.
• The Postal Service is the world leader in optical character recognition technology — our machines read 93% of all hand-addressed letter mail.
• The Advanced Facer Canceller System (AFCS) positions letter mail and cancels stamps at 36,000 pieces per hour.
• The Delivery Barcode Sorter (DBCS) reads the barcode on letters and sorts letters at 36,000 pieces per hour.
• The Automated Flat Sorting Machine (AFSM) sorts flat mail at 17,000 pieces per hour.
• The Flats Sequencing System (FSS) is the Postal Service’s latest piece of equipment. It sorts “flat mail” (large envelopes, magazines, etc.) at 37,000 pieces per hour in carrier walk sequence (see above).
• The Automated Package Processing System (APPS) processes packages and bundles of mail at over 9,500 pieces per hour.

FUN FACTS

Postal Service superlatives — everything you’ve ever wanted to know … and more.

Mule train in the Grand Canyon.

Post Office Fun Facts

• Highest Elevation — Leadville, CO — 10,150' above sea level
• Lowest Elevation — Mecca, CA — 180' below sea level
• Westernmost in US — Wales, AK
• Easternmost in US — Lubec, ME
• Southernmost in US — Key West, FL
• Northernmost — Barrow, AK
• Closest to the geographical center of the 50 United States — Belle Fourche, SD
• Closest to geographical center of the 48 contiguous states — Lebanon, KS
• Smallest — Ochopee, FL — 8'4" x 7'3"
• Oldest in same building — Hinsdale, NH, since 1816
• Second Oldest — Castine, ME, since 1833
• Coldest — North Slope area of Alaska, including Barrow and Wainwright
• Hottest — Death Valley, CA
• Most Extraordinary — The Peach Springs, AZ, Post Office is equipped with walk-in freezers for food destined for delivery to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by mule train to the Havasupai Indians.
• Most Isolated — Located in the farthest reaches of northern Alaska, the Anaktuvuk Pass Post Office is the only link to the outside world for the 300 residents who live there. There are no roads to the town, everything must be flown in.
• Dual Personality — Sitting on the border between Tennessee and Virginia, the Post Office here has two different ZIP Codes and serves customers in Bristol, TN, and Bristol, VA.
• Most Needing a Bridge — The Point Roberts, WA, Post Office cannot be reached by vehicle unless you drive through British Columbia, Canada. Only a boat or float plane will get you there directly.
• The longest regular rural route is Route 1 in Fordsville, ND. The route travels 176.5 miles daily and delivers to 174 boxes.
• The shortest rural delivery route is Route 42 in Henderson, NV. The route travels 1.9 miles daily and delivers to 640 boxes.
• The Postal Service moves mail using planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, float planes, hovercrafts, T-3s, street cars, mules, bicycles and feet.

Just the Fun Facts

• In 2009, the Postal Service reduced its total work hours by 114 million — the equivalent of 65,000 full-time employees. Only 98 of the companies included in the Fortune 500 have work forces that large — 402 have fewer than 65,000 people.
• The Postal Service is the nation’s second-largest civilian employer and operates the:
• Nation’s largest retail network
• World’s largest civilian fleet of vehicles
• World’s largest alternative fuel–enabled fleet
• The Postal Service has a larger retail network in this country than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Walmart combined.
• The Postal Service has one of the largest learning management systems in the country. Launched in 2009, the system incorporates eLearning and social networking.
• The Postal Service receives 92% of its retail revenue from 15,000 of its more than 36,000 retail locations.
• The Postal Service prints more than 900,000 W2 forms, 3.85 million payroll checks, 1.86 million non-payroll checks and 15.5 million payroll earnings statements annually.
• Most Unusual Delivery Method — mule trains in Arizona. Each mule carries about 130 pounds of mail, food, supplies and furniture down the 8-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians, averaging 41,000 pounds per week (see top photo).
• Another Unusual Delivery Method — the JW Westcott is a 45-foot contract mail boat out of Detroit, MI, that delivers mail to passing ships in the Detroit River. The JW Westcott even has its own ZIP Code — 48222.
• Located in Maryland, the William F. Bolger Center for Leadership Development is a national training facility for the Postal Service. It is the only hotel in the country featuring an on-site Smithsonian exhibit.
• The lowest ZIP Code is 00501, a unique ZIP Code for the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, NY.
• The highest ZIP Code is 99950 in Ketchikan, AK.
• Clinton is the most common Post Office name in the country. Tied for second place are Franklin, Madison and Washington.
• The top five most common street names in the country are Main, Maple, 2nd, Oak and Park.
• The longest Main Street in America is located in Island Park, ID (83429) — it’s 33 miles long.
• The Postal Service manufactures over 245,000 locks and 3.2 million keys every year.

A DAY IN THE LIFE...BY THE NUMBERS

It’s today … and letter carriers and truckers will drive 4.1 million miles to deliver 584 million pieces of mail to more than 150 million residences, businesses and PO boxes. While 1.1 million customers go online to usps.com to conduct $608,000 worth of postal business, another 7 million will go into a physical Post Office.

1. 224.4 million — average revenue received
2. 584 million — average number of mail pieces processed and delivered
3. 276.5 million — pieces of First Class Mail processed and delivered
4. 272.9 million — pieces of Advertising Mail processed and delivered
5. 150 million — dollars paid to postal employees in salaries and benefits
6. 4.1 million — number of miles driven by letter carriers and truck drivers
7. 402,640 — number of gallons of fuel used
8. 10,000 — number of letter carriers who deliver mail entirely on foot
9. 155,116 — number of address changes processed
10. 3,048 — number of addresses added to our delivery network
11. 1.1 million — number of people who visit usps.com
12. 608,219 — amount of money customers spend on usps.com
13. 1.1 million — amount of money customers spend on postage for Click-N-Ship labels
14. 24,092 — number of passport applications accepted
15. 445,875 — number of money orders issued
16. 252,000 — number of transactions processed on 2,500 APCs
17. 1.8 million — amount of money customers spend at APCs
18. 7 million — customers served at more than 36,000 retail locations
19. 105 million — number of postage stamps cancelled on automation equipment
20. 0 — tax dollars received for operating the Postal Service

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency 5 consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.

Trademarks
The following are among the trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: ACS™, APC®, Automated Postal Center®, Carrier Pickup™, CASS™, CASS Certified™, Certified Mail™, Click-N-Ship®, Confirm®, Customized MarketMail®, Delivery Confirmation™, DMM®, EPM®, Express Mail®, FAST®, FASTforward®, First-Class™, First-Class Mail®, IM™, IMb™, Intelligent Mail®, LACSLink®, MASS™, MERLIN®, Mover’s Guide®, NCOALink®, Netpost®, Netpost Mailing Online™, OneCode ACS®, OneCode Confirm®, OneCode Solution®, OneCode Vision®, Parcel Post®, Parcel Select®, PC Postage®, PLANET®, PLANET Code®, Post Office™, PostalOne!®, Postal Service™, POSTNET™, Priority Mail®, Quick, Easy, Convenient®, RDI™, ReadyPost®, REDRESS®, Registered Mail™, RIBBS®, Signature Confirmation™, Simple Formulas®, Stamps by Mail®, Standard Mail®, The Postal Store®, United States Postal Service®, U.S. Mail®, U.S. Postal Service®, USPS®, USPS Electronic Postmark®, USPS.COM®, usps.com®, ZIP+4®, and ZIP Code™. This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.

Mail.dat®, Mail.XML® and IDEAlliance® are trademarks owned by the International Digital Enterprise Alliance.

Visit our newsroom online at:
http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm
or call the U.S. Postal Media Line: 202.268.2155
© 2010 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.