U.S. Postal Service Raising Rates For Ground Shipping

USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select will see increases of more than 5 percent.

USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select have increased by more than 5%.

Changes to the pricing structure began on Jan. 18. The price of a standard first-class mail stamp will remain the same at 78 cents. Annual postal rate adjustments are submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission as part of the Postal Service’s regulatory process. First-class postage and other services may be updated once or twice a year to reflect operational costs and market conditions.

Postal officials have said that rate increases are designed to help the USPS cover rising expenses and work toward financial stability without sacrificing core services such as six-day delivery. Declining mail volume and higher delivery costs have placed sustained pressure on the agency’s finances in recent years.

The Postal Service has also undergone leadership changes and scrutiny over its future direction. In July 2025, David P. Steiner, who serves as the 76th Postmaster General, said he supports maintaining the agency’s independence as a self-financing entity while working to improve performance. In a letter to staff, Steiner told employees at the time that he believed the Postal Service could operate successfully under its current structure and preserve its mission while being “realistic” about financial growth and sustainability.

“A major commitment of the Postal Service is to operate in a financially self-sustaining manner. While the impacts of inflation and the dynamic and changing business environment have negatively impacted our ability to achieve financial sustainability, we must reverse that trend. The Postal Service needs to be on a realistic path to match costs to revenues on a consistent, long-term basis,” Steiner wrote.

Steiner’s remarks came amid a backdrop of political discussion about the Postal Service’s role in American life as Donald Trump and other federal officials pushed for privatization of the agency. Postal unions and some lawmakers have raised concerns that privatization or structural shifts could undermine universal service obligations that guarantee delivery to all addresses. The USPS continues with its efforts to balance affordability for consumers with the need to modernize operations and find new revenue streams in a changing postal landscape.