United States Postal Service

What United States Postal Service does

The United States Postal Service is a federal independent establishment of the U.S. executive branch, founded in 1775 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It operates as the country's universal postal carrier, delivering mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses across 41,550+ ZIP codes six days per week through a network of over 40,000 post office locations and a workforce of approximately 640,000 career employees (with broader headcount exceeding 1 million including non-career staff). USPS serves residential customers, business mailers, e-commerce companies (including Amazon, for which it handles ~80% of packages, and DHL eCommerce under a $10B last-mile agreement), nonprofit organizations, and government/military clients under a legislatively mandated universal service obligation.

The agency's product portfolio spans First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, and USPS Connect, complemented by digital services including Informed Delivery (mail preview and package tracking notifications), Click-N-Ship (online label printing and pickup scheduling), Informed Visibility (tracking analytics), Every Door Direct Mail (geographic marketing), and USPS Smart Lockers. Its underlying technology platform is anchored by the Intelligent Mail Barcode system, which enables end-to-end scan-based tracking and powers automation across mail acceptance, processing, and dynamic routing. USPS also monetizes its unique national footprint through Beyond the Mail, a data services product exposing occupancy, mobility, and collection box data to enterprise customers in real estate, retail, and logistics.

USPS generates revenue through transaction-based postage and shipping fees (First-Class Mail, package delivery, Priority services) and one-time stamp sales (Forever stamps at $0.78, increasing to $0.82, plus commemorative philatelic products). Pricing has been raised repeatedly, with First-Class Forever stamps moving from $0.66 to $0.68 (January 2024), $0.73 (July 2024), and announced further increases for 2025. Distribution combines physical retail (post offices and authorized third-party retailers), USPS.com, and enterprise last-mile partnerships with major e-commerce platforms. Financially, USPS operates at roughly $80 billion in annual operating revenue but has accumulated more than $120 billion in losses since 2007, reported a $2.0 billion quarterly net loss in Q2 FY2026, and has suspended pension contributions and discretionary spending in response to a liquidity crisis. The agency does not receive tax appropriations and is governed by a presidentially appointed Board of Governors under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.

Name

United States Postal Service

Legal name

United States Postal Service

Website

https://usps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1775

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The United States Postal Service is a federally chartered independent agency that delivers mail and packages to 170 million U.S. addresses six days per week, serving residential, business, and e-commerce customers through its universal service obligation and 40,000+ post office network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Postal and Logistics Services

NAICS

Postal Service (49111), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (4921), Direct Mail Advertising (54186), Private Mail Centers (561431)

SIC

Air Courier Services (4513), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Universal Service Letter Mail (Domestic) (TLAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Priority / Expedited Mail (Non-Time-Definite) (TLAAAAAE), Domestic Parcel Post / Ground Parcels (TLAAAAAB), Post Office Network & Retail Counter Services (TLAAAAAF), Direct Mail / Marketing Mail & Bulk Mail Services (TLAAAAAJ), Document & Small Packet Express (Letters/Legal/Financial) (TLAAABAI)

Keywords

• Postal delivery services
• Mail and package shipping
• Last-mile delivery
• Direct mail marketing
• Logistics and fulfillment

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. First-Class Mail: Traditional letter and document delivery services including First-Class Forever stamps and postcards
2. Package Delivery: E-commerce and shipping package delivery services, including competitive competitive package offerings
3. Shipping Services: Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and other shipping service offerings
4. Stamp Sales: Sales of commemorative stamps, Forever stamps, and philatelic products to collectors and mailers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

USPS is a self-supporting federal government enterprise that provides universal mail and package delivery services to 170 million addresses across all 41,550+ U.S. ZIP codes with six-day residential delivery. Its core offerings span First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage shipping services, complemented by digital tools including Informed Delivery mail previews, Click-N-Ship label printing, and the Intelligent Mail Barcode tracking system. Revenue is generated through postage sales, shipping fees, and strategic last-mile delivery partnerships with major e-commerce companies such as Amazon and DHL eCommerce.

Product overview

USPS operates as a comprehensive mail and shipping platform offering a unified portfolio of services spanning consumer, business, and enterprise segments. Core products include First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage for shipping needs, complemented by digital services like Informed Delivery (mail tracking preview), Click-N-Ship (online label printing), and USPS Smart Lockers (automated pickup). Business offerings include Every Door Direct Mail (geographic marketing), Informed Visibility (tracking analytics), USPS Connect (e-commerce fulfillment), and the Intelligent Mail Barcode system for mail processing automation. USPS also provides data products like Beyond the Mail leveraging its unique postal infrastructure data for real estate and retail planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• USPS.com: Official website for postal services, shipping, and stamp purchases
• Informed Delivery
• Click-N-Ship
• Priority Mail Express
• USPS Ground Advantage
• First-Class Mail

Products and services

• Informed Delivery Digital preview service allowing customers to see incoming mail and track packages through daily email notifications with scanned images of letter-sized mail.
• Click-N-Ship Online shipping service enabling customers to pay for postage, print shipping labels, and schedule package pickups from home.
• Priority Mail Express Overnight or 2-day expedited shipping service with money-back guarantee and tracking capabilities.
• Priority Mail Versatile shipping service offering delivery in 1-3 business days with various flat-rate options and tracking.
• USPS Ground Advantage Cost-effective ground shipping solution for packages with delivery typically in 2-8 business days.
• First-Class Mail Economical mail service for letters, envelopes, flats, and packages up to 13 ounces with standard tracking.
• PO Box Secure mail delivery service allowing customers to rent postal boxes at local Post Office facilities for convenient mail pickup.
• USPS Connect E-commerce and local delivery program enabling businesses to leverage USPS network for fulfillment and last-mile delivery.
• Every Door Direct Mail Targeted mail marketing service allowing businesses to mail to all residents in specific geographic areas without needing a mailing list.
• American Icons Commemorative Stamps Commemorative stamp collection curated by Ralph Lauren featuring 13 stamps with photographs to mark America's 250th anniversary, issued as Forever stamps at current First-Class Mail pricing.
• Barbie Commemorative Stamps Set of 10 Forever stamps featuring Barbie representing iconic careers, issued in panes of 20 in collaboration with Mattel.
• Bald Eagle: Hatchling to Adult Stamps Commemorative Forever stamps featuring five realistic illustrations by ornithologist David Allen Sibley showing bald eagles at different life stages, available in panes of 20.
• Route 66 Forever Stamps Route 66 centennial commemorative stamp set featuring eight photographs covering each of the eight states Route 66 traversed, priced at $12.48 for a pane of 16 Forever stamps.
• A Day at the Beach Stamps Commemorative stamp set featuring four beach-themed designs released at the WESTPEX Stamp Show in Burlingame, California.
• Summer Sunset Nonprofit Stamp Nondenominational nonprofit-rate stamp featuring original artwork by Rachael Cassiani depicting a sunset in Menemsha, sold in self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000.
• Postcrossing Triangle Stamp Triangle-shaped postage stamp commemorating the Postcrossing international pen pal program, marking a rare return of the triangular stamp format last used in 2007.
• Military & Diplomatic Mail Mail delivery services for U.S. military and diplomatic personnel stationed overseas, including APO/FPO/DPO addresses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 170 million delivery points across the United States
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic delivery partnership with Amazon where USPS handles approximately 80% of Amazon package deliveries through last-mile delivery services. This partnership leverages USPS's extensive residential delivery network to provide cost-effective final-mile delivery for Amazon orders.
• DHL eCommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor$10 billion last-mile delivery agreement with DHL eCommerce for handling package delivery services. USPS provides final-mile delivery for DHL eCommerce shipments across its residential delivery network, extending DHL's reach to end consumers.
• Everforth ECSminorOthersAwarded as Supplier Performance Award winner for excellence in supply chain operations and service delivery.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FedEx: Global parcel and logistics competitor overlapping with USPS on Priority Mail Express and competitive package services. Comparable on technology investment in tracking and on serving enterprise shipping customers, though FedEx is surface-and-air versus USPS's ground-heavy, universal-service model.
• DHL Group (Deutsche Post DHL): DHL eCommerce is a $10B last-mile partner of USPS, and DHL's international express network is a direct functional analog to USPS's international parcel services. Highly comparable on cross-border logistics and parcel network design, though DHL operates without a universal service obligation.
• United Parcel Service (UPS): Largest U.S. private parcel carrier competing head-to-head with USPS in ground and express package delivery, particularly for B2B and B2C volume. Highly comparable on last-mile economics and customer overlap, but UPS lacks the universal service mandate and rural reach of USPS.

Regional players

• Japan Post Holdings: Japan's national postal and financial services group combining mail, parcels, and banking under one entity. Comparable in scale, universal service obligation, and the diversification strategy beyond pure mail delivery.
• Australia Post: Australian government-owned postal operator with a universal service obligation covering a vast, low-density geography — the closest analog to USPS's rural last-mile economics. Operates in parcels, retail, and financial services.
• Royal Mail (International Distributions Services): United Kingdom's designated universal service provider offering letter and parcel delivery, structurally the closest international peer to USPS. Comparable on universal service mandate, post office retail network, and the same structural challenge of declining letter mail funding parcel growth.
• La Poste (Groupe La Poste, France): France's national postal operator with a comparable universal service mandate and post office retail footprint. Has pursued parcel, banking, and digital services diversification in a structurally similar way to USPS.
• Canada Post: Canada's national postal operator with a similar universal service obligation and rural last-mile network. Operates a parallel Crown corporation model and faces the same First-Class Mail decline and e-commerce pivot pressures as USPS.

Emerging players

• Pitney Bowes: Provider of mailing, shipping, and presort technology and services that compete in adjacent parts of USPS's business mail and direct mail ecosystem. Comparable on serving business mailers and presort services, though Pitney Bowes is a vendor rather than a carrier.
• Amazon Logistics: Amazon's in-house delivery network, which currently relies on USPS for ~80% of last-mile volume. A key emerging competitor and partner: comparable on customer base (Amazon's own shoppers) and increasingly on delivery capability, posing a long-term risk of USPS volume disintermediation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/usps
• Facebookfacebook.com/USPS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usps
• Instagraminstagram.com/uspostalservice
• Pinterestpinterest.com/uspsstamps

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United States Postal Service