Mail Delivery In Mass. Among Poorest In U.S., Inspector General Finds

MASSACHUSETTS — The phrase "snail mail" is a little more apt in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A recent USPS Office of the Inspector General report ranked the two states in the bottom 10 states for on-time delivery of single pieces of first class mail with two-day delivery. That type of mail was only delivered on time about 84.2 percent of the time in the second quarter of 2024, almost 10 percentage points lower than the target of 93 percent.

The national average for on-time delivery in the second quarter was 86.8 percent — a 4.1 percentage point decrease compared to the same period in 2023, according to USPS.

USPS has said the slow service is due to a variety of factors, including winter weather and changes in how the postal service sorts and collects mail, according to Government Executive.

Here are the bottom 10 states and regions for on-time delivery:

• Georgia — 63.70
• Wisconsin — 73.50
• Virginia — 77.40
• Illinois 1 — 80.50
• Texas 2 — 82.30
• Kansas, Missouri — 82.70
• Illinois 2 — 82.90
• New York 1 — 83.00
• Minnesota, North Dakota — 84.10
• Massachusetts, Rhode Island — 84.20

Here are the top 10 states and regions for on-time delivery:

• California 1 — 94.40
• California 4 — 94.10
• California 6 — 93.90
• California 3 — 93.80
• Pennsylvania 1 — 92.90
• California 2 — 92.80
• New York 3 — 92.60
• Hawaii — 92.30
• Florida 2 — 91.80
• Texas 3 — 91.70

The USPS service dashboard uses regions in some cases, which is why Massachusetts and Rhode Island are grouped together, and why states like California and Illinois are split into numerical territories.