The cost of mail in the United States: Third postage increase in a year starts Sunday

For the third time in 12 months, the United States Postal Service will raise the price of stamps.

In January, the price went from 60 cents to 63 cents. This Sunday, it will become 66 cents per stamp.

The USPS cites rising operating costs caused by inflation and the impacts of “a previously defective pricing model,” according to the Associated Press.

Sunday’s increase will be the fifth since early 2019 when postage was 50 cents. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI inflation calculator reads that 50 cents in 2019 adjusted for inflation is 60 cents in 2023