USPS Office of Inspector General

This month’s infographic, taken from our audit on workload and workforce performance indicators in customer service, delivery and vehicle operations, shows First-Class Mail volume has declined more than 11 percent since 2014 while Package Services volume has increased at an extraordinary rate. Still, the growth in Package Services has not been nearly enough to offset total U.S. Postal Service mail volume declines.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the urban-rural divide in this country. But the U.S. Postal Service has had to deal with it in one form or another since its founding.

Our recent white paper brings a useful historical perspective to the Postal Service’s long-time efforts to balance the often-conflicting demands of urban and rural customers.

U.S. Postal Service delivery points are increasing each year. Package volumes are rising steadily as well. And so are customer expectations. This paradigm tends to lead to an increase in customer complaints, especially when delivery performance doesn’t meet expectations.