History of United States postage rates

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Seal of the former U.S. Post Office Department (1792-1971), predecessor to the United States Postal Service Seal of the United States Department of the Post Office.svg
Seal of the former U.S. Post Office Department (1792–1971), predecessor to the United States Postal Service

The system for mail delivery in the United States has developed with the nation. Rates were based on the distance between sender and receiver in the nation's early years. In the middle of the 19th century, rates stabilized at one price regardless of distance. Rates were relatively unchanged until 1968 when the price was increased every few years by a small amount. Comparing the increases with a price index, the cost of a first-class stamp has been steady. The seal of the Post Office Department showed a man on a running horse, even as railroads and, later, motorized trucks and airplanes moved mail. In 1971, the Post Office became the United States Postal Service, with rates set by the Postal Regulatory Commission, with some oversight by Congress. Air mail became standard in 1975. In the 21st century, prices were segmented to match the sorting machinery used; non-standard letters required slightly higher postage.

Contents

Postal rates to 1847

Initial United States postage rates were set by Congress as part of the Postal Service Act signed into law by President George Washington on February 20, 1792. The postal rate varied according to "distance zone", the distance a letter was to be carried from the post office where it entered the mail to its final destination. Rates were adopted in 1847 for mail to or from the Pacific Coast and in 1848 for mail sent from one place in the west to another place in the west. There were double and triple rates as a letter's size increased. Ship fees were also added (i.e., mail to Hawaii). The ship fee, including the ship rate on letters for delivery at the port of entry, were on a per letter basis, rather than weight. The United States issued its first postage stamps in 1847. Before that time, the letters' rates, dates, and origins were written by hand or sometimes in combination with a handstamp device. [1]

United States Postal Service

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 established the postage rates, which have been set by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

Historical rates

United States domestic first-class & postcard rates, 1863–present (USD) [conversion 1]
Date IntroducedLetters
(for first ounce)
Packages
(for first ounce)
Additional
(per ounce)
Postcard rate [2] International rate (letters)Comments
July 1, 1863.06
(.03 for 12 oz)
.06.06
(.03 per 12 oz)
.06.02 per half ounce in drop boxes [3] [4]
October 1, 1883.04
(.02 for 12 oz)
.04.04
(.02 per 12 oz)
.04 [4]
July 1, 1885.02.02.02.02 [4]
July 1, 1898.02.02.02.01 [5]
November 2, 1917.03.03.03.02 Wartime Emergency Rate
July 1, 1919.02.02.02.01Dropped back by Congress
April 15, 1925.02.02.02.01 (stamped cards)
.02 (postcards)
July 1, 1928.02.02.02.01
July 6, 1932.03.03.03.01
January 1, 1952.03.03.03.02
August 1, 1958.04.04.04.03
January 7, 1963.05.05.05.04
January 7, 1968.06.06.06.05
May 16, 1971.08.08.08.06
March 2, 1974.10.10.10.08
September 14, 1975.10.10.09.07Last surface mail rate
December 31, 1975.13.13.11.09All domestic first class & postcards by airmail
May 29, 1978.15.15.13.10A Stamp Used
March 22, 1981.18.18.17.12B Stamp Used
November 1, 1981.20.20.17.13C Stamp Used
February 17, 1985.22.22.17.14D Stamp Used
April 3, 1988 [6] .25.25.20.15E Stamp Used
February 3, 1991.29.29.23.19F Stamp Used (also 4 cent F makeup rate stamp)
January 1, 1995.32.32.23.20G Stamp Used (also 3 cent G makeup rate stamp)
January 10, 1999.33.33.22.20H Stamp Used (also 1 cent H makeup rate stamp)
January 7, 2001.34.34.21.20 Nondenominated Stamps Used
July 1, 2001.34.34.23.21Nondenominated Stamps Used
June 30, 2002.37.37.23.23Flag and Antique Toy Stamps Used
January 8, 2006.39.39.24.24Lady Liberty Flag Stamp Used
May 14, 2007.411.13.17.26.69 (Can & Mex)
.90 (rest of world) [7]
Shape-based postage pricing introduced; international surface rates were terminated. [7] Forever stamps introduced; different prices for letters and packages for the first time
May 12, 2008.421.17.17.27.72 (Can & Mex)
.94 (rest of world) [7]
Price change announced February 11, 2008
May 11, 2009.441.22.17.28.75 (Canada)
.79 (Mexico)
.98 (rest of world) [7]
Price change announced February 10, 2009
April 17, 2011.441.71 (3 oz).20 (letters)
.17 (packages)
.29.80 (Can & Mex)
.98 (rest of world) [7]
[8]
January 22, 2012.451.95 (3 oz).20 (letters)
.17 (packages)
.32.85 (Can & Mex)
1.05 (rest of world) [7]
January 27, 2013.462.07 (3 oz).20 (letters)
.17 (packages)
.331.10 [7] Price change announced October 11, 2012
Canada & Mexico pay the same rate as the rest of the world
January 26, 2014.492.32 (3 oz).21 (letters)
.17 (packages)
.341.15 [9] Price change announced September 25, 2013 [9]
May 31, 2015.492.54 (3 oz).22 (letters)
.20 (packages)
.351.20 [10]
April 10, 2016.47 [10] 2.54 (3 oz).21 (letters)
.20 (packages)
.341.15 [10] Price change announced February 25, 2016
January 22, 2017.49 [11] 2.67 (3 oz) [12] .21 (letters)
.18 (packages)
.341.15 [11] Price change announced October 12, 2016
January 21, 2018.50 [13] 3.50 (4 oz) [12] .21 (letters)
.35 (packages) [14]
.351.15 [13] Price change announced October 6, 2017
January 27, 2019.55.15 (letters).351.15Price change announced October 19, 2018
January 26, 2020 [15] .55.15 (letters).351.20 [16]
January 24, 2021 [17] .55.20.361.20Price change announced October 9, 2020
August 29, 2021 [18] .58.20.401.30USPS notice post-dated September 16, 2021 [18] after effective increase date.
July 10, 2022 [19] .60.24 (letters).441.40 [20] Price change announced April 6, 2022
January 22, 2023 [21] .634.75-5.25 (zone-based).24 (letters).481.45Price change announced October 7, 2022; new non-machinable surcharge: 40 cents
July 9, 2023 [22] .66.24 (letters).511.50Price change announced April 10, 2023
January 24, 2024 [23] .68.24 (letters).531.55Price change announced October 6, 2023
July 14, 2024 [24] .73.28 (letters).561.65Price change announced April 9, 2024
  1. 1 oz is 28.34 g.

Historical trend

Actual and inflation-adjusted first-class postage rates in the U.S. US Postage History.svg
Actual and inflation-adjusted first-class postage rates in the U.S.

Plotting the data in the previous table yields the adjacent graph. The dark area shows the actual price of the stamp, while the light area shows the price adjusted for inflation in 2019 U.S. cents.

This plot shows that, despite the nominal rise in the cost of a first-class stamp, the adjusted cost of a stamp has stayed relatively stable. Since at least the early 1980s, the price of a stamp has closely followed the consumer price index. The large jumps in the early 1900s are because a change by a single penny was significant compared to the cost of the stamp. For example, the price increase from $0.02 to $0.03 on July 6, 1932, was a 50% increase in cost.

Historical notes

Domestic parcel post service was adopted in 1913, 25 years after the Post Office had agreed to deliver international parcel post packages pursuant to the Universal Postal Union treaty and various bilateral agreements with other nations: [25]

"The establishment of parcel post in 1913 had a tremendously stimulating effect on the national economy; it opened a world of opportunities for both farmers and merchants alike." [25]

Initially, only some postal regulations governed packages mailed by parcel post. For example, to construct a bank in Vernal, Utah, in 1916, a Salt Lake City company ascertained that the cheapest way to send 40 short tons (36 t; 36,000 kg) of bricks to the building was by parcel post, and the company proceeded to do so. For another example, Charlotte May Pierstorff, then a 48.5-pound (22.0 kg) five-year-old, was mailed via parcel post in 1914; she survived, but the regulations were clarified to prohibit the use of parcel post for human transport. [26]

Bulk postal rates were restructured in 1996:[ citation needed ]

In 2007, First Class Mail was restructured to include variable pricing based on size, not just on weight. Shape-based postage pricing is a form of dimensional weight. Also, at that time, the International Parcel Post air service was re-branded as Priority Mail International, and the Parcel Post surface service was discontinued for international destinations. [27]

Regular Air Mail service began in 1918; over the years, rates varied considerably depending on distance and technology. Domestic Air Mail, as a class of service, officially ended May 1, 1977. By then, all domestic First Class Mail was being dispatched by the most expeditious means, surface or air, and whether or not the Air Mail postage had been paid.[ citation needed ]

Additional charges for Special Delivery existed from 1885 to 2001. Today, Express Mail Overnight is the most similar service level.[ citation needed ]

During the summer of 2010, the USPS requested the Postal Regulatory Commission to raise the price of a first-class stamp by 2 cents, from 44 cents to 46 cents, to take effect January 2, 2011. On September 30, 2010, the PRC formally denied the request, but the USPS filed an appeal with the Federal Court of Appeals in Washington DC. [28] [29]

On September 25, 2013, the USPS announced a 3-cent increase in the First Class postal rate, effective January 26, 2014, increasing the price of a stamp to 49 cents. Bulk mail, periodicals, and package service rates were also increased by 6 percent. A loss of US$5 billion during the 2013 fiscal year was the reason given for the increase. [30]

The legislation which set the price to 49 cents was enacted as a temporary measure and as an "exigent surcharge for mailing products and services". [31] However, this legislation was set to expire in April 2016. As a result, the Post Office retained one cent of the price change as a previously allotted adjustment for inflation, but the price of a first-class stamp became 47 cents: for the first time in 97 years (and for the fourth time in the agency's history) the price of a stamp decreased. [32]

Recent history of first-class increases

The United States Postal Service proposed a price increase for Forever stamps in July 2024, raising the cost from 68 to 73 cents. This follows an increase in January 2024 and marks the sixth increase since January 2021. Despite these ongoing price hikes, the United States maintains relatively inexpensive postage compared to other developed countries. A 2024 study by the USPS Inspector General found that the U.S. had a lower stamp price than 26 out of 30 comparable countries. Additionally, the overall increase in stamp prices from June 2018 to June 2023 (26%) was significantly lower than the average increase of 55% experienced by those same countries.

A major factor driving the price hikes for first-class mail in the United States is a decline in mail volume. Since 2007, the number of mailed items has decreased by 68%. This decline is attributed to the rise of digital communication methods, such as email and social media, which have significantly reduced reliance on traditional mail services. The USPS attempts to offset these financial losses through price adjustments to first-class mail, including Forever stamps. [33]

See also

Unions of the U.S. Postal Service:

History:

Related Research Articles

An international reply coupon (IRC) is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter sent to another Universal Postal Union (UPU) member country. IRCs are accepted by all UPU member countries.

The Universal Postal Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postmark</span> Mark of the date/time that mail enters postal service custody

A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. Modern postmarks are often applied simultaneously with the cancellation or killer that marks postage stamps as having been used. Sometimes a postmark alone is used to cancel stamps, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Postmarks may be applied by handstamp or machine, using methods such as rollers or inkjets, while digital postmarks are a recent innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Postal Service</span> Independent agency of the U.S. federal government

The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, its insular areas and associated states. It is one of a few government agencies explicitly authorized by the Constitution of the United States. As of 2023, the USPS has 525,469 career employees and 114,623 non-career employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mail</span> System for transporting documents and other small packages

The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal systems have generally been established as a government monopoly, with a fee on the article prepaid. Proof of payment is usually in the form of an adhesive postage stamp, but a postage meter is also used for bulk mailing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office Department</span> Former US federal department (1872–1971)

The United States Post Office Department was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet department. It was headed by the postmaster general.

Canada Post Corporation, trading as Canada Post, is the Canadian national postal service. It is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postage stamps and postal history of the United States</span>

Postal service in the United States began with the delivery of stampless letters whose cost was borne by the receiving person, later encompassed pre-paid letters carried by private mail carriers and provisional post offices, and culminated in a system of universal prepayment that required all letters to bear nationally issued adhesive postage stamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Registered mail</span> Postal service

Registered mail is a postal service in many countries which allows the sender proof of mailing via a receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made. Depending on the country, additional services may also be available, such as:

Franking comprises all devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced. Types of franks include uncanceled and precanceled postage stamps, impressions applied via postage meter, official use "Penalty" franks, Business Reply Mail (BRM), and other permit Imprints (Indicia), manuscript and facsimile "franking privilege" signatures, "soldier's mail" markings, and any other forms authorized by the 192 postal administrations that are members of the Universal Postal Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Post</span> Australian postal service

Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is located on Bourke Street, Melbourne, above the Bourke Street Post Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Letter Mail Company</span> Defunct US company (1844–1851)

The American Letter Mail Company was started by Lysander Spooner in 1844, competing against the legal monopoly of the United States Post Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parcel post</span> Type of mailing

Parcel post is a postal service for mail that is too heavy for normal letter post. It is usually slower than letter post. The development of the parcel post is closely connected with the development of the railway network which enabled parcels to be carried in bulk, to a regular schedule, and at economical prices. Today, many parcels also travel by road and international shipments may travel by sea or airmail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-denominated postage</span> Type of postage stamp

Non-denominated postage is a postage stamp intended to meet a certain postage rate, but printed without the denomination, the price for that rate. They may retain full validity for the intended rate, regardless of later rate changes, or they may retain validity only for the original purchase price. In many English-speaking countries, it is called non-value indicator or non-value indicated (NVI) postage. They are used in many countries and reduce the cost of printing large issues of low-value make up stamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Special Delivery (postal service)</span>

U.S. Special Delivery was a postal service paid for with additional postage for urgent letters and postal packets which are delivered in less time than by standard or first class mail service. Its meaning is different and separate from express mail delivery service. Essentially it meant that a postal packet was delivered from a post office to the addressee immediately once it arrived at the post office responsible for delivering it, rather than waiting for the next regular delivery to the addressee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States airmail service</span>

United States airmail was a service class of the United States Post Office Department (USPOD) and its successor United States Postal Service (USPS) delivering air mail by aircraft flown within the United States and its possessions and territories. Letters and parcels intended for air mail service were marked as "Via Air Mail", appropriately franked, and assigned to any then existing class or sub-class of the Air Mail service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Virginia on stamps</span>

The history of Virginia through the colonial period on into contemporary times has been depicted and commemorated on postage stamps accounting for many important personalities, places and events involving the nation's history. Themes are particularly rich in early American and new nation history, historical landmarks, and Virginia-born presidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13</span>

The U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13 were the first such stamps issued by the U.S. Post Office Department and consisted of twelve denominations to pay the postage on parcels weighing 16 ounces and more, with each denomination printed in the same color of "carmine-rose". Their border design was similar while each denomination of stamp bore its own distinctive image in the center (vignette). Unlike regular postage items, whose rates were determined by weight in ounces, Parcel Post rates were determined and measured by increments in pounds. The new stamps were soon widely used by industry, farmers and others who lived in rural areas. Partly owing to some confusion involving their usage, their exclusive use as Parcel Post stamps proved short lived, as regular postage stamps were soon allowed to be used to pay parcel postage rates.

References

  1. Smoot, Frederick. "Early United States Domestic Postal Rates". TNGenWeb. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  2. "Rates for Stamped Cards and Postcards". HISTORIAN, United States Postal Service. February 2019. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019. Postcards (privately printed cards) did not qualify for a special postage rate until July 1, 1898. Since then, the rates for postcards have been the same as for stamped cards (produced by the Postal Service) except for the period from April 15, 1925, to July 1, 1928.
  3. Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Postal Service
  4. 1 2 3 "Rates for Stamped Cards and Postcards" (PDF). HISTORIAN, United States Postal Service. February 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. "U.S. Domestic Postcard Rates". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. "Postal rates go up today". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, TX. AP. April 3, 1988. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wawrukiewicz, Anthony S.; Beecher, Henry (2014). "Updated United States International Rates, 1996 - 2014" (PDF). USPostalBulletins.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  8. "2011 U.S. postage rate increase". Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019. NOTE: The price for a First-Class Mail stamp did not increase in 2010, nor 2011.
  9. 1 2 "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2014". United States Postal Service Postal News. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Forced Price Reduction to Worsen USPS Financial Condition by $2 Billion Per Year". United States Postal Service Postal News. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Postal Service announces 2017 mailing services prices". United States Postal Service Postal News. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "USPS Price List: Notice 123". Archived from the original on 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  13. 1 2 "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2018". United States Postal Service Postal News. October 6, 2017. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. for the 5th through 8th oz, the price is a constant 25 cent increase. The 35-cent increase starts with the 9th oz.
  15. "Stamp Price Increases 2020: USPS Stamp, Mail Rates Going Up in January?". Newsweek . 30 December 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  16. "First-Class Mail International | USPS". www.usps.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-09. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  17. "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2021". Archived from the original on 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  18. 1 2 "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2021". Archived from the original on 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  19. "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2022 - Newsroom - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  20. "July 2022 Postage Price Changes". USPS. 2022-06-15. Archived from the original on 2022-07-10. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  21. "U.S. Postal Service Announces New Prices for 2023 - Newsroom - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  22. "U.S. Postal Service Files Notice with PRC for New Mailing Services Pricing". United States Postal Service. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  23. "U.S. Postal Service Proposes New Prices for 2024 - Newsroom - About.usps.com". about.usps.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  24. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/0409-usps-recommends-new-prices-for-july-2024.htm [ bare URL ]
  25. 1 2 "Parcel Post: Delivery of Dreams". Smithsonian libraries. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  26. "Precious Packages—America's Parcel Post Service". National Postal Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2014-11-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. "2007 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Service Operations". Archived from the original on 2009-04-11. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  28. Metzler, Natasha (2010-09-30). "Rate board denies Postal Service price hike plea". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
  29. O'Keefe, Ed (2010-10-22). "Postage rates may still go up". Washington Post . Archived from the original on 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
  30. Reilly, Allison (2013-12-25). "Postal Rates Going Up In January". DailyGlobe. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  31. Laura Wagner (1 March 2016). "Stamp Prices Set To Drop 2 Cents In April, Putting USPS In Sticky Situation". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  32. Isidore, Chris (2016-04-08). "Postage prices set to go down, and the USPS isn't happy". CNN Business. Archived from the original on 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  33. Chappell, Bill (2024-04-12). "The Forever Stamp is forever rising in price. How does the U.S. cost compare globally?". NPR . Retrieved 2024-04-16.

Sources

Further reading