USPS stamp prices are going up again in July
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Stamp prices went up in January and are increasing again on Sunday. Photo: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The price of postage stamps will go up by 5 cents in July after the Postal Regulatory Commission signed off on the United States Postal Service's proposal to raise rates.
Why it matters: The increase, approved by the commission this week, ties the record for the highest stamp hike ever.
- Costs to send a letter by certified mail and money order fees are also increasing.
The big picture: This is the 19th stamp rate change since 2000 and the fifth rate hike in two years.
- Rates last went up in January 2024.
- Before that, they rose in July 2023, January 2023 and July 2022.
Zoom in: The Postal Regulatory Commission said in its 223-page decision that the price adjustments were consistent with applicable law and it had "no legal basis to reject" the changes.
- The commission said it is encouraging the Postal Service Board of Governors "to consider exercising their business judgment" and "not to increase rates by the full amount permitted by law."
- The commission also said it is conducting a statutory review of the system for regulating rates.
Stamp price increase starts July 14
Driving the news: The price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp will increase from 68 cents to 73 cents on July 14.
- Rates for First Class Mail will increase by roughly 7.8%.
Flashback: The only other 5-cent increase happened in January 2019 when the price of a first-class stamp increased from 50 to 55 cents, according to USPS data.
- Most increases have been 2 to 3 cents.
- Between the 1970s and 2000, rates increased three to four times a decade, USPS data shows.
USPS postage rates 2024
Other approved increases include:
- Metered 1-ounce letters will cost 69 cents, up from 64 cents.
- Postcards sent domestically will be 56 cents, up from 53 cents.
- International postcards and 1-ounce letters will see a 10-cent increase to $1.65.
- The additional-ounce price for single-piece letters increases from 24 cents to 28 cents.
Future stamp price increases
State of play: Keep US Posted exclusively told Axios Friday that it is calling on Congress to file legislation to fix Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's Delivering for America plan and reject the twice-annual stamp increases.
- "Postal regulators are finally acknowledging that stamp hikes are driving disastrous declines in traditional mail volume," Kevin Yoder, executive director of the advocacy group, told Axios.
- Yoder, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, said the commission's "hesitant approval" of the latest stamp hike "creates the perfect opportunity for Congress to step in and right the ship."
By the numbers: The number of pieces of mail handled by the post office has declined in recent years as more people pay bills online and fewer send physical thank you cards.
- In 2023, USPS handled 116.1 billion pieces of mail compared to the high of 213.1 billion in 2006, data shows.
- The Postal Service said in November that it projected a net loss of $6.5 billion for its fiscal year.
What they're saying: Holly Lubart, News/Media Alliance vice president of government affairs, said recent postage rate increases have been "excessive and unsustainable for news and magazine publishers that rely on the postal system to deliver quality journalism to Americans."
- Since August 2021, news and magazine publishers have seen price increases 254% above the rate of inflation, Lubart said.
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