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USPS data · every state

How long does mail take from each state?

From Washington, D.C., a First-Class letter or card is due within 3 delivery days at 62% of US ZIP code areas. From Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico, it’s 7%.

USPS’s First-Class Mail service standards, effective October 1, 2026. A standard is USPS’s target, not a measured delivery time.

Look up any two ZIP codes
62%
of US ZIP areas due within 3 days from Washington, D.C., the highest in the country
7%
from the seven slowest states, the lowest outside Alaska, Hawaii and the territories
4,410
routes got slower on October 1, 2026; 1,396 got faster

First-Class mail times from every state

States ranked by the share of the country’s ZIP code areas a First-Class letter mailed there is due at within 3 delivery days.

  1. Washington, D.C.62%20 routes faster
  2. Delaware57%6 routes slower, 45 routes faster
  3. New Jersey52%128 routes slower, 135 routes faster
  4. Ohio51%85 routes slower, 60 routes faster
  5. Maryland48%52 routes faster
  6. Indiana47%204 routes slower
  7. Michigan45%88 routes slower, 10 routes faster
  8. Rhode Island43%8 routes slower
  9. Pennsylvania43%66 routes slower, 229 routes faster
  10. South Carolina42%7 routes slower
  11. Virginia40%3 routes slower, 96 routes faster
  12. Massachusetts39%73 routes slower, 15 routes faster
  13. North Carolina39%192 routes faster
  14. Tennessee37%435 routes slower
  15. New York37%248 routes slower, 150 routes faster
  16. Connecticut36%67 routes slower, 20 routes faster
  17. Illinois35%281 routes slower
  18. Kentucky35%1,049 routes slower
  19. Florida33%302 routes slower
  20. West Virginia28%79 routes slower, 14 routes faster
  21. Missouri27%54 routes faster
  22. Minnesota26%49 routes slower
  23. Iowa25%30 routes slower
  24. Maine25%72 routes slower
  25. Alabama25%76 routes slower
  26. Georgia24%109 routes slower
  27. Wisconsin23%124 routes slower, 70 routes faster
  28. Nebraska23%13 routes slower
  29. Oklahoma23%162 routes slower
  30. Texas22%142 routes slower
  31. Kansas20%3 routes slower, 51 routes faster
  32. New Hampshire20%17 routes slower
  33. Colorado19%17 routes slower, 80 routes faster
  34. Utah17%13 routes slower
  35. Louisiana15%20 routes slower
  36. Vermont14%27 routes slower
  37. California12%189 routes slower, 24 routes faster
  38. North Dakota10%18 routes slower
  39. Mississippi10%47 routes slower, 1 route faster
  40. Arkansas9%74 routes slower, 3 routes faster
  41. Oregon9%5 routes slower
  42. South Dakota8%13 routes slower
  43. Arizona7%1 route slower, 50 routes faster
  44. Idaho7%no route change
  45. Wyoming7%13 routes slower, 10 routes faster
  46. Washington7%6 routes slower
  47. Montana7%11 routes slower, 15 routes faster
  48. Nevada7%15 routes slower
  49. New Mexico7%15 routes slower
Share of US ZIP code areas a First-Class letter from each of the 48 contiguous states and D.C. is due at within 3 delivery days. Beside it, how many of the state’s routes got slower or faster on October 1, 2026.

Every state, split by delivery days

Each row splits the country’s ZIP code areas by how many delivery days a First-Class letter mailed in that state is due to take: 2, 3, 4 or 5.

Share of US ZIP code areas a First-Class letter from each state is due at in each number of delivery days, most within 3 days first
State2 days3 days4 days5 daysWithin 3
Washington, D.C.15%48%25%13%62%
Delaware16%42%29%14%57%
New Jersey15%37%31%17%52%
Ohio7%44%33%16%51%
Maryland10%38%32%21%48%
Indiana6%40%40%14%47%
Michigan5%40%38%17%45%
Rhode Island13%31%37%20%43%
Pennsylvania9%35%35%22%43%
South Carolina3%38%37%21%42%
Virginia7%33%37%23%40%
Massachusetts11%28%36%25%39%
North Carolina3%36%39%22%39%
Tennessee3%34%45%18%37%
New York8%28%37%26%37%
Connecticut9%27%35%29%36%
Illinois3%33%48%17%35%
Kentucky4%31%45%20%35%
Florida2%30%49%19%33%
West Virginia4%24%45%27%28%
Missouri2%24%47%26%27%
Minnesota2%24%49%25%26%
Iowa2%22%48%27%25%
Maine4%20%36%39%25%
Alabama2%23%50%25%25%
Georgia2%22%47%29%24%
Wisconsin1%22%49%28%23%
Nebraska2%21%43%34%23%
Oklahoma2%21%47%31%23%
Texas2%19%45%33%22%
Kansas2%18%46%34%20%
New Hampshire3%17%33%47%20%
Colorado2%17%45%37%19%
Utah1%16%38%45%17%
Louisiana2%14%43%42%15%
Vermontunder 1%13%34%52%14%
California3%9%25%64%12%
North Dakota1%9%39%51%10%
Mississippi1%9%60%31%10%
Arkansas1%8%55%36%9%
Oregon1%8%18%73%9%
South Dakota1%7%40%52%8%
Arizona1%7%25%67%7%
Idahounder 1%7%23%70%7%
Wyomingunder 1%7%33%60%7%
Washington1%6%19%74%7%
Montana1%6%30%63%7%
Nevada1%6%20%73%7%
New Mexicounder 1%6%35%59%7%
Alaska, Hawaii and the territories
Puerto Ricounder 1%0%99%1%under 1%
U.S. Virgin Islandsunder 1%0%0%100%under 1%
Hawaiiunder 1%0%under 1%100%under 1%
Alaskaunder 1%0%under 1%99%under 1%
Guamunder 1%0%under 1%100%under 1%

Shares are of the 914 civilian 3-digit ZIP areas in USPS’s directory, rounded to whole percents, so a row may not add to exactly 100%. Link to one state with its postal code, as in #state-dc.

From the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam, at least 99% of routes are 5 days. From Puerto Rico, 99% of routes are 4 days.

Which ZIP codes are best and worst connected?

Mail from ZIP codes starting 400, 401, 402, 404, 414, 420, 423, 427 and 471 (Kentucky and Indiana) is due within 3 days at more US ZIP areas than from anywhere else: 705 of 914 (77%). From 832, 833 and 834 (Idaho) it’s 6 of 914 (1%), the fewest outside Alaska, Hawaii and the territories.

Best connected

3-digit ZIP areas whose First-Class mail is due at the most US ZIP areas within 3 days
ZIP codes startingStateWithin 3 daysAverage
400, 401, 402, 404, 414, 420, 423, 427Kentucky77%3.19 days
471Indiana77%3.19 days
460, 461, 462, 469, 472, 473, 478, 479Indiana77%3.17 days
410Kentucky75%3.21 days
450, 451, 452, 459Ohio75%3.21 days
470Indiana75%3.21 days
620, 622, 626, 628Illinois74%3.22 days
630, 631, 633, 636Missouri74%3.22 days

Least connected in the lower 48

3-digit ZIP areas in the lower 48 whose First-Class mail is due at the fewest US ZIP areas within 3 days
ZIP codes startingStateWithin 3 daysAverage
832, 833, 834Idaho1%4.81 days
821Wyoming1%4.81 days
592, 593, 595, 596, 597Montana1%4.81 days
898Nevada1%4.77 days
845Utah1%4.77 days
830, 831Wyoming1%4.77 days
974, 975, 976, 977Oregon2%4.86 days
988, 989, 993, 994Washington2%4.89 days

Average is the mean First-Class standard, in delivery days, to every civilian ZIP area.

What changed on October 1, 2026?

USPS’s October 1, 2026 directory changed the First-Class standard on 5,806 routes between 3-digit ZIP areas, compared with the July 1, 2026 directory: 4,410 got slower and 1,396 got faster. The largest numbers of slower routes start in Kentucky (1,049), Tennessee (435) and Florida (302).

First-Class routes from each state that got slower or faster, most slowed first
StateRoutes slowerRoutes faster
Kentucky1,0490
Tennessee4350
Florida3020
Illinois2810
New York248150
Indiana2040
California18924
Oklahoma1620
Texas1420
New Jersey128135
Show the other 38 with a changed route
The other states with a changed route, most slowed first
StateRoutes slowerRoutes faster
Wisconsin12470
Georgia1090
Michigan8810
Ohio8560
West Virginia7914
Alabama760
Arkansas743
Massachusetts7315
Maine720
Connecticut6720
Pennsylvania66229
Minnesota490
Mississippi471
Iowa300
Vermont270
Louisiana200
North Dakota180
Colorado1780
New Hampshire170
Nevada150
New Mexico150
Wyoming1310
Nebraska130
South Dakota130
Utah130
Montana1115
Rhode Island80
South Carolina70
Delaware645
Washington60
Oregon50
Virginia396
Kansas351
Arizona150
North Carolina0192
Missouri054
Maryland052
Washington, D.C.020

A route is one origin 3-digit ZIP area to one destination area. Almost every change is one day; 9 routes got two days slower. No route from Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands changed.

Is a USPS service standard a guarantee?

No. A service standard is the number of delivery days USPS sets as its own target for a route, not a promise and not a measurement of how long mail actually took. USPS reports separately how often it meets its standards, and that share drops in the weeks around Christmas (holiday mail delays, season by season).

How these figures are worked out

Every figure here comes from USPS’s First-Class Mail service standard directory, effective October 1, 2026: the number of delivery days USPS sets as its target for mail between each pair of 3-digit ZIP code areas. Delivery days run Monday to Saturday; Sundays and USPS holidays don’t count.

For each state we take every 3-digit area in it and its standard to each of the 914 civilian destination areas in the directory, and count each route once. The share is of ZIP code areas, not of people or of mail: a rural area and a big-city one count the same. Military addresses (15 APO, FPO and DPO areas) are left out.

USPS also lists 13,297 individual 5-digit ZIP codes separately, each slower than its area to some destinations, almost always by one day. These figures use each area’s own standard, so from those ZIP codes some routes run a day longer than shown here. For your exact pair of ZIP codes, use the mail time calculator.

Each 3-digit area is placed in the state holding most of its land, from the Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area to county relationship file. Areas the Census file doesn’t cover (PO-box-only and single-business ZIP codes) are placed from USPS’s 3-digit ZIP Code prefix list (Labeling List L002). One origin area (876) appears in neither, so it is left out.

How to cite this page

You are welcome to quote these figures and download the data. Our compilation is licensed CC BY 4.0; the underlying standards are USPS’s own published service standard directory. Please credit USPS as the source of the data and link to this page:

Source: USPS First-Class Mail service standards (effective October 1, 2026), compiled by ShipNote, “Mail delivery times by state,” https://www.shipnote.co/mail-delivery-times-by-state
Download the data (CSV)

The CSV has a row per state and a row per 3-digit ZIP area. Shares are fractions (0.62 is 62%) and averages are in delivery days.

<a href="https://www.shipnote.co/mail-delivery-times-by-state">mail delivery times by state</a>

Related

How long does mail take?USPS’s standard for any two ZIP codes, holidays counted.Holiday mail delaysHow often USPS delivers on time around Christmas.

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