Americans pay less: Postage remains stable... |
 |
 |
|
|
...and the elimination of taxpayer subsidies
has saved billions |
The total cost of mailing letters—for ratepayers and taxpayers combined—has fallen by about 20% since 1971 |
 |
Taxpayers covered 23.3% of postal costs in 1971. A subsidy of that level in 2007 would have been approximately $16.9 billion. But direct subsidies to the USPS were phased out between 1972 and 1982. Today the USPS is funded entirely by revenues from postage. |
|
| |
The Postal Service is self-sufficient
|
Financial Results
(cumulative in $billions) |
Post Office Department
1942-1971 |
United States Postal Service
1972-2007 |
Revenue |
$90 |
$1,463.7 |
Expense |
$109 |
$1,464.3 |
Deficit |
($19) |
|
Revenue/Expense |
82.6% |
100.0% |
|
| |
Note: The USPS is organized to operate as a non-profit enterprise. Historically, its financial mandate has been to break even over time. It has largely achieved that mandate since its cumulative income amounts to less than one percent of costs. However, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 allows the Postal Service to retain revenues.
|
| |
The Postal Service provides high-quality service |
| Customer Satisfaction |
| |
Service rated excellent, very good or good |
92% |
| |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery Performance |
| |
Percentage of overnight First-Class Mail delivered on time: |
96% |
| |
Percentage of Two-Day First-Class Mail delivered on time: |
94% |
| |
Percentage of Three-Day First-Class Mail delivered on time: |
93% |
| |
|
|
| Public Opinion |
| |
In a survey of public perception of government agencies, these came out on top: |
|
| |
| AGENCY |
FAVORABLE RATING
|
| 1. U.S. Postal Service |
83%
|
| 2. National Park Service |
79%
|
| 3. U.S. Forest Service |
75%
|
| 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
72%
|
| 5. Federal Bureau of Investigation |
65%
|
| 6. NASA |
65%
|
| 7. Census Bureau |
63%
|
| 8. Food and Drug Administration |
63%
|
| 9. National Institutes of Health |
63%
|
| 10. Federal Aviation Administration |
60%
|
| SOURCE: GfK Roper Consulting, based on interviews with 2,002 adults in August and September 2007, via The Washington Post. |
|
|
|
| |
Postal employees have earned
their pay and benefits |
| PFY 1972-2007 |
 |
Labor productivity measured by Bureau of Labor Statistics for years 1972-2000; USPS TFP estimates for 2001-2007.
Straight-time wages adjusted for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Compensation (total wages and benefits per total work hour) adjusted for inflation using the CPI. |
| |
Postal and Consumer Price Inflation Compared
1972-2007 |
 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
PPI-USPS = Producer Price Index for all USPS services.
CPI = Consumer Price Index. CPI-All Items is the total index; CPI-Services is services subindex. |
| To more USPS facts |
