Study shows an average of 15,078 pieces of mail are lost each month

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Postal workers sort through mail and packages (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

A recent study shows that between 2022 and 2024, more than 542,000 pieces of mail were lost or went missing in the U.S., an average of 15,078 each month.

The backstory:

Technology company Postal, a virtual mailbox service provider, conducted a study utilizing a Freedom of Information Act request to determine the areas of the country that have the highest levels of lost, missing, damaged, delayed and potentially stolen mail.

By the numbers:

Dig deeper:

Their results show that between 2022 and 2024, 542,000 pieces of mail were reported lost or went missing, an average rate of 15,078 pieces per month. 

On a per capita basis of 100K residents, the study found the District of Columbia had the highest rate of lost or missing mail, while California had the largest number of pieces of mail reported lost or missing.

DC’s lost or missing mail rate is 131% higher than the national average, and 18% higher than California, which has a lost or missing mail rate of 308 pieces per 100,000 residents.

The other top states with the highest rates of missing or lost mail are Texas with 49,162, New York, 41,859, Florida, 36,741, and Illinois with 21,509.

The study found Los Angeles has the highest volume of lost or missing mail in the country, while Chicago had the most "lost after delivery" reports.

A total of 177,748 pieces of mail were reported as lost or missing in 2024, a 12.8% decrease from 2023, but an increase of 10% compared to 2022.

The other side:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) says they deliver more than one hundred billion pieces of mail every year and provided the following totals for the last three years:

2024–112 billion pieces 
2023–116 billion pieces 
2022–127 billion pieces 

USPS says a small fraction of the volume of mail they process isn’t delivered for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, incorrect address/recipient information, loss, and theft. 

What they're saying:

"The United States Postal Service strives to provide prompt, reliable, and economical service for our customers, the American people, as we have done for 250 years," said Michael Martel, Postal Inspector, and National Public Information Officer for the United States Postal Inspection Service.  "Every piece of mail is important to the Postal Service and its customers. Regrettably, a small fraction of this mail volume does not find its intended recipient for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, incorrect address/recipient information, loss, and theft."  

What you can do:

The USPS says if a piece of mail is stolen, the Postal Service has its own federal law enforcement and security arm, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Customers can report stolen mail to the USPIS by calling 1-877-876-2455 or online at uspis.gov/report.