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.
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.
