INDIANA—The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is declaring itself more than ready for the 2025 holiday season, citing a $20 billion investment over the past four years to modernize its facilities and processing capabilities. This extensive effort is aimed at realigning the national postal network to meet the demands of modern mailing and shipping and ensure dependable, affordable service throughout the peak season.
“The Postal Service plans throughout the year to deliver the nation’s mail and packages during the high-volume holiday season, and we are well prepared and ready to deliver for the American public,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner. He added that the USPS expects to continue gaining market share in its package business due to its substantial value and shipping options.
The modernization plan has focused on people, technology, equipment, and facilities, integrating them into a streamlined network ready to handle the expected holiday surge.
The USPS has significantly expanded its daily package processing capacity, deploying more than 600 package sorters over the past five years, including 94 installed this year alone. This investment has boosted daily processing capacity from 60 million to 88 million packages, preparing the organization for the holiday volume and ensuring tracking visibility through automated scanning.
By comparison, in December 2024, the USPS delivered 45 percent more packages per operating day than its competitors, while also delivering over 350 million mail pieces daily.
Workforce and Facilities
- Hiring Seasonal Staff: The USPS plans to hire 14,000 temporary employees this year. This is a significant drop from 40,000 seasonal hires a few years ago, thanks to the conversion of nearly 232,000 pre-career employees to full-time positions since 2020, which has stabilized the core workforce.
- New Facilities: New facilities opened in 2025 in major markets like Dallas, Phoenix, and Johnson City, TN, with more coming soon in Memphis, Birmingham, Tampa, and San Antonio. Over the past four years, the Postal Service has opened nine Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs), 19 regional transfer hubs, 17 local processing centers, and 133 sorting and delivery centers to ensure adequate space and better year-round service.
Delivery and Transportation
- Expanded Turnaround Service: Following updated service standards in July, the USPS expanded its local and regional turnaround service. The standard for processing and delivering mail and packages within the same region is now 2-day or 3-day, allowing local businesses and consumers to send holiday greetings more quickly and reliably. On average, the USPS delivers mail and packages nationwide in less than 3 days.
- New Delivery Fleet: The Postal Service has received nearly 29,000 new vehicles this year, with more than 24,000 already on delivery routes. The organization expects to acquire a total of 106,480 new cars, including 66,000 zero-emission electric vehicles, underscoring a commitment to sustainability and reliable service.
The USPS remains a crucial provider of affordable shipping. It continues to offer the lowest postage rates in the industrialized world and generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, relying instead on product and service sales.
Customers have a variety of affordable options for shipping gifts this season, with $100 insurance and tracking included on most shipments:
- USPS Ground Advantage (2–5 business days)
- Priority Mail (2–3 business days)
- Priority Mail Express (1–3 business days)
The Postal Service will continue to prioritize morning parcel delivery, utilize enhanced scanning technology, and offer extended retail and pick-up delivery hours at popular Post Office locations. The USPS currently serves nearly 169 million addresses and processes and delivers 44 percent of the world’s mail.
For tips on mailing, shipping supplies, and packaging guidelines, customers can visit usps.com or the USPS YouTube Channel.
