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There’s no doubt that mail carriers work hard to deliver packages across the country. However, many uncontrollable circumstances (e.g., traffic congestion, staffing changes, severe weather, etc.) can make the job harder. International shipping company Seven Seas Worldwide found out which states’ residents receive packages at the slowest rates due to these factors, as well as the states where mail deliverers overcome the odds.
- Package Delays Are Common in These States
- 10 Slowest States for Package Deliveries
- 10 Fastest States for Package Deliveries
Package Delays Are Common in These States
This list below is based on USPS’s quarterly data on Single-Piece First-Class Mail with a 3-to-5-day delivery window. The team at Seven Seas Worldwide subtracted the USPS’s reported on-time performance percentages from 100 percent to calculate the share of packages that missed the expected delivery window.
Southern states have some of the slowest delivery times, with Mississippi occupying the No.1 slot. Forty-eight percent of mail isn’t delivered on time in the Magnolia State. Right behind Mississippi are Georgia (45.5 percent) and Indiana (44.8 percent). Arkansas and Oklahoma both tie at 43.6 percent, which rounds out the top five states with the most package delivery delays.
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10 Slowest States for Package Deliveries
Rank | State | Percent of Packages Not Delivered on Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Mississippi | 48 |
2 | Georgia | 45.5 |
3 | Indiana | 44.8 |
4 (tie) | Arkansas | 43.6 |
5 (tie) | Oklahoma | 43.6 |
6 | Ohio | 41.5 |
7 (tie) | Colorado | 41 |
8 (tie) | Wyoming | 41 |
9 | Tennessee | 40.6 |
10 | Maryland | 39.5 |
Meanwhile, Alabama saw the most mail delivered on time. Only 19.2 percent of packages delivered in the state missed the expected window.
10 Fastest States for Package Deliveries
Rank | State | Percent of Packages Not Delivered on Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama | 19.2 |
2 | Hawaii | 20.1 |
3 | Alaska | 23.5 |
4 | Louisiana | 24.4 |
5 (tie) | Vermont | 29 |
6 (tie) | New Hampshire | 29 |
7 (tie) | Maine | 29 |
8 | California | 29.35 |
9 | Connecticut | 29.5 |
10 | Utah | 30.4 |
Recent changes to delivery services at USPS might have something to do with slower speeds across the company. Per USA TODAY, the federal agency has moved to cut costs and improve efficiency, and such alterations may have resulted in more delayed deliveries. According to an internal report from May, delivery times for first-class letters worsened by 5 percent over the previous two years.