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United States Postal Service
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United States Postal Service: Facts & Related Content

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The United States Postal Service is a federal agency created by the U.S. Consitution responsible for providing postal service within the United States and its territories.

Facts

Also Known As U.S. Mail • Post Office Department • the Post Office
Areas Of Involvement mail delivery
Related People Mary Fields • Montgomery Blair

Top Questions

How large is the USPS?
The USPS consists of more than 40,000 post offices, which deliver more than 210 billion pieces of mail every year inside the United States and its territories. The United States Postal Service handles roughly half of the world’s mail.
How is U.S. mail protected?
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, instituted in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin, is one of the nation’s oldest law enforcement agencies, not only enforcing the more than 200 federal laws which protect U.S. mail but investigating threats and assaults against USPS employees. The Postal Inspection Service made several thousand arrests and seizures related to narcotics in 2019 alone.

Did You Know?

  • George Washington is the most common figure to be depicted on U.S. stamps.
  • More than 5,700 USPS employees were attacked by dogs during 2019.
  • The Postal Inspection Service was one of the first federal law enforcement agencies to hire women as agents.
  • USPS is one of the largest employers of veterans in the United States.

Photos and Videos

United States Postal Service worker
Centennial map of the Pony Express route
Pony Express stamp
U.S. postal worker
Old Fremont Post Office
Smokey Bear's ZIP Code
United States Postal Service: mail sorting
What are zip codes?
See All Videos and Images →

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