Industry Statistics and Trends
Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 0.6 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $91.9bn in 2025.
Trends and Insights
USPS raises rates even as mail volumes continue to fall
- Declining mail volumes place financial pressure on the industry while operational requirements remain unchanged. From 2023 to 2024, weighted mail volumes dropped by 2.0%, partly because of consumers increasingly opting for digital alternatives for bills and letters. Both the priority and marketing mail segments experienced notable declines during this period, revealing an ongoing shift in demand. The mandate to serve every address nationwide under the Universal Service Obligation obligates USPS to maintain the same geographic coverage, regardless of the reduced physical mail delivered.
- Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Source: IBISWorld
Industry outlook (2025-2030)
Market size is projected to decline over the next five years.
Trends and Insights
Steep mail volume declines and discount reliance force USPS to balance tradition and survival
- The primary force shaping the USPS outlook is a large and steady drop in mail volumes. Data from the USPS Office of Inspector General and WIK Consult reveal that first-class mail sent by consumers may drop by 32.3% from 2025 to 2035 if trends continue gradually. If a technological breakthrough causes Americans to switch to electronic alternatives even faster, mail volumes could plunge by as much as 46.4% in the same period, showing how vulnerable mailing revenue is to digital disruption.
Biggest companies in the Postal Service in the US
| Company | Market Share (%)
2025 | Revenue ($m)
2025 | Profit ($m)
2025 | Profit Margin (%)
2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
United States Postal Service | 91,914.5 | -6,914.5 | -7.5 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 1 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Products & Services Segmentation
Source: IBISWorld
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including First-class mail, Marketing mail (formerly standard mail) and Shipping and package services. First-class mail is the largest segment of the Postal Service in the US.
Trends and Insights
USPS shipping and packaging services drive agency revenue growth
- Shipping and packaging services include Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select, serving customers from e-commerce businesses to individuals. These services encompass the agency’s largest revenue-generating segment, capitalizing on trends like growing online shopping demand and the need for direct-to-consumer shipments.
- More insights available in the full report
Table of Contents
About this industry
Industry definition
This industry includes establishments that are part of the national postal service and perform one or more postal services such as sorting, routing and delivery. Establishments that operate on a contract basis, except for the bulk transportation of mail, are included in this industry.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in the Postal Service industry in the United States include Delivering first-class mail, Shipping and packaging services, Delivering marketing mail, Delivering international mail and Delivering periodicals.Companies
Companies covered in the Postal Service industry in the United States include United States Postal Service.Purchase this report to view all 1 major companies in this industry.
Related Terms
Related terms covered in the Postal Service industry in the United States include postage, e-mail, usps, dominant product and competitive product.Industry Code
NAICS 49111 - Postal Service in the US
Performance
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Analyst insights
A big switch from air to ground transportation is helping USPS rein in transportation costs. By investing in local sorting centers and reducing empty air trips, the postal se...
In this chapter (4)
- Current Performance
- Outlook
- Volatility
- Life Cycle
Key metrics
- Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
- Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
- Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
- Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business
Charts
- Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
- Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
- Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
- Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
- Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
- Industry Life Cycle
Detailed analysis
- Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
- Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
- Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
- How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.
Products and Markets
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Analyst insight
Rural and exurban mail delivery demand is rising as more people move to less populated areas. While these regions offer new opportunities, they also stretch USPS resources si...
In this chapter
- Products & Services
- Major Markets
Key metrics
- Largest market segment and value in 2025
- Product innovation level
Charts
- Products & services segmentation in 2025
- Major market segmentation in 2025
Detailed analysis
- Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
- Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
- Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
- Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
Geographic Breakdown
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Analyst insights
Pennsylvania’s diverse urban and rural centers benefit from USPS’s focus on streamlining logistics infrastructure. Centralized Sorting and Delivery Centers and tech upgrades ...
In this chapter (1)
- Business Locations
Charts
- Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each state
- Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025
Tables
- Number and share of establishments in each state in 2025
- Number and share of revenue each state accounts for in 2025
- Number and share of wages each state accounts for in 2025
- Number and share of employees in each state in 2025
Detailed analysis
- Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
- Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage
Competitive Forces
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Analyst insights
USPS’s legal monopoly keeps competitors out of traditional mail delivery. Laws like the Private Express Statutes mean only the Postal Service can use your mailbox or deliver ...
In this chapter (4)
- Concentration
- Barriers to Entry
- Substitutes
- Buyer & Supplier Analysis
Key metrics
- Industry concentration level
- Industry competition level and trend
- Barriers to entry level and trend
- Substitutes level and trend
- Buyer power level and trend
- Supplier power level and trend
Charts
- Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
- Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart
Detailed analysis
- Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
- Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
- Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
- Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
- Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
- Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
- Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
- Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
- Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.
Companies
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Analyst insights
The government mandates that the USPS have a monopoly. The postal service controls all mail distribution throughout the United States. This mandate causes the USPS to take up...
In this chapter
- Market Share Concentration
- Companies
- Company Spotlights
Charts
- Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
- Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025
- Overview of United States Postal Service's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
Detailed analysis
- Description and key data for United States Postal Service, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
External Environment
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Analyst insights
Congress allocated support to the Postal Service Fund. Although this support is a small slice of the overall budget, this targeted funding helps USPS keep statutory mandates ...
In this chapter
- External Drivers
- Regulation & Policy
- Assistance
Key metrics
- Regulation & policy level and trend
- Assistance level and trend
Charts
- Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030)
- Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030)
Detailed analysis
- Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
- Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
- Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.
Financial Benchmarks
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Analyst insights
Rising retirement and compensation obligations are keeping USPS deep in the red. Despite boosting revenue, about 80.0% of the agency's losses last year were tied to mounting ...
In this chapter
- Cost Structure
- Financial Ratios
- Key Ratios
Key metrics
- Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
- Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
- Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
- Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio
Charts
- Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
- Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
- Investment vs. share of economy
Data tables
- Industry Multiples (2018-2023)
- Industry Tax Structure (2018-2023)
- Income Statement (2018-2023)
- Balance Sheet (2018-2023)
- Liquidity Ratios (2018-2023)
- Coverage Ratios (2018-2023)
- Leverage Ratios (2018-2023)
- Operating Ratios (2018-2023)
- Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
- Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
- Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
- Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
- Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
- Average Wage (2015-2030)
- Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
- Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
- IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
- Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
- Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)
Detailed analysis
- Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability
Key Statistics
Industry Data
Data Tables
Including values and annual change:
- Revenue (2015-2030)
- IVA (2015-2030)
- Establishments (2015-2030)
- Enterprises (2015-2030)
- Employment (2015-2030)
- Exports (2015-2030)
- Imports (2015-2030)
- Wages (2015-2030)
Top Questions Answered
Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.
What is the market size of the Postal Service industry in the United States in 2025?
The market size of the Postal Service industry in the United States is $91.9bn in 2025.
How many businesses are there in the Postal Service industry in the United States in 2025?
There are 1 businesses in the Postal Service industry in the United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.0 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Postal Service industry in the United States?
The Postal Service industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Postal Service industry in the United States?
The Postal Service industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Postal Service industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Postal Service industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 0.6 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Postal Service industry in the United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Postal Service industry in the United States is expected to decline.
What are the biggest companies in the Postal Service industry in the United States?
The biggest company operating in the Postal Service industry in the United States is United States Postal Service
What does the Postal Service industry in the United States include?
Delivering first-class mail and Shipping and packaging services are part of the Postal Service industry in the United States.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Postal Service industry in the United States?
The company holding the most market share in the Postal Service industry in the United States is United States Postal Service.
How competitive is the Postal Service industry in the United States?
The level of competition is moderate and steady in the Postal Service industry in the United States.
Related Industries
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Competitors
Complementors
View all industries in United States
Methodology
How are IBISWorld reports created?
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in the US include:
- US Census Bureau
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- US International Trade Commission
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
- Industry and trade associations
- Industry federations or regulators
- Major industry players annual or quarterly filings
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
How does IBISWorld forecast its data?
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
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