The United States Postal Service delivers mail and packages nationwide. It is governed by a Board of Governors, which oversees the agency and appoints the postmaster general.
The USPS is an independent establishment of the executive branch, not a private delivery company or a Cabinet department. Its public-service role and governance structure shape how it operates—and who is responsible for its major decisions.
| Role or document | Who selects or maintains it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Governors | Governors nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate | Sets postal policy, directs USPS powers and approves officer compensation |
| Postmaster General | Selected and appointed by the Board of Governors | Leads USPS and sits on the board |
| Domestic Mail Manual | United States Postal Service | Sets official domestic mailing prices and standards |
| A Customer’s Guide to Mailing | United States Postal Service | Provides household mailers information about retail products and services |
- 109 billion pieces Mail delivered by USPS in FY 2025
- 213 billion pieces USPS mail-volume peak in FY 2006
- $0.82 Forever stamp rate in July of 2026
- $0.78 Forever stamp rate in July of 2025
What does the United States Postal Service do?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency that provides postal service to the American public by delivering mail and packages to addresses across the nation.
USPS serves addresses that may lie beyond the reach of a single private delivery route. Its nationwide network carries communications among households, businesses and government, giving the Postal Service a universal-service role rather than serving only places that are easy to reach.
Mail volume
In FY 2025, the Postal Service delivered 109 billion pieces of mail, down 104 billion pieces from the FY 2006 peak of 213 billion. The figures show how much the volume of mail has fallen from its peak, even as USPS continues to connect addresses across the country.
Who governs the Postal Service and appoints its leader?
The USPS Board of Governors directs the Postal Service’s powers, sets policy on postal matters and appoints the Postmaster General.
Board oversight
The Board has eleven members: up to nine Governors, the Deputy Postmaster General and the Postmaster General. The President nominates the Governors, and the Senate confirms them.
- Governors: nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
- Deputy Postmaster General and Postmaster General: also serve on the Board.
The Board sets policy on postal matters and approves compensation for Postal Service officers. Its role is not limited to choosing the agency’s leader; it also directs how the USPS exercises its powers.
Postmaster General
The Board of Governors selects and appoints the Postmaster General, who also sits on the Board. The President’s role in nominating and the Senate’s role in confirming apply to the Governors, not to the Postmaster General.
Only the Board can dismiss the Postmaster General. That authority rests with the same body that appoints the leader and oversees postal policy.
How are mailing prices and standards set?
The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) sets USPS’s official prices and standards for domestic mailing services. The DMM dated July 12, 2026, is the current reference for those rules and prices.
The forever stamp rate rose from $0.78 in July of 2025 to $0.82 in July of 2026. For retail mailing products and services, USPS offers A Customer’s Guide to Mailing, a separate guide for customers.
For questions about mailing standards, the DMM directs customers to a local Post Office, a business mail entry office or the Pricing and Classification Service Center. Check the DMM for the applicable rule, then use the listed office or center if you need help applying it to a mailing.
What limits USPS’s universal-service mission?
USPS’s universal-service mission is limited by the need to deliver to every address even as mail volume and local delivery demands change. The network must serve places with different needs, while its productivity and the amount of mail it handles have shifted over time.
Volume and productivity
The Postal Regulatory Commission reports that, between 2016 and 2025, the Postal Service lost productivity gains it had achieved between 2000 and 2015. The Commission also reports that FY 2025 mail volume was 109 billion pieces, compared with the FY 2006 peak of 213 billion.
Those figures describe two pressures on a network built to reach every address: lower mail volume than at its peak and lost productivity gains. The delivery obligation remains, even when the number of pieces moving through the system changes.
For customers, postage prices and mailing rules are not fixed. Check the current Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) before mailing, especially if price or format matters; the applicable requirements can affect what you pay and whether an item qualifies for the service you want.
How does USPS differ from a Cabinet department?
The United States Postal Service differs from a Cabinet department because Congress replaced the Post Office Department with USPS in 1971, establishing an independent agency rather than another department in the President’s Cabinet.
USPS is governed by a Board of Governors. The Postmaster General manages the organization under the board’s direction and is selected and appointed by the board. That structure separates the governing role from day-to-day leadership: the board sets policy for postal matters, while the Postmaster General leads the service.
Mission and mailing rules
USPS’s public-service mission and its operating rules answer different questions. Its mission is nationwide delivery, including service to every address; the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) sets standards for domestic mail.
- Public-service role: USPS provides postal service across the nation.
- Governance: The Board of Governors directs USPS; the Postmaster General manages it under the board’s direction.
- Mailing standards: The DMM governs domestic mailing requirements.
If you need to know whether a particular item qualifies for a mailing option, check the applicable DMM standard; USPS’s broad delivery mission does not by itself answer that operational question.
Frequently asked questions
Is the United States Postal Service part of the executive branch?
Who appoints the Postmaster General?
Where can I check current domestic mailing rules?
How much is a forever stamp?
Sources
- USAFacts — “What does the US Postal Service (USPS) do?”
- Legal Information Institute — “United States Postal Service (USPS)”
- Brookings — “How is the US Postal Service governed and funded?”
- about.usps.com — “Members of the Board of Governors – Who we are – About.usps.com”
- about.usps.com — “About the United States Postal Service – Who we are – About.usps.com”