ATLANTA — Georgia ranks as the worst state in the nation for First Class two-day mail delivery.
Data released by the Postal Regulatory Commission for fiscal year 2024 Q2 included scores for each state, evaluating on-time service for two-day First Class Single mail. These latest numbers from the postal service show Georgia as dead last, with a score of 63.70% on-time performance, below the national average of 87% and nearly 30 points the target goal of 93%.
In comparison, on-time performance in Georgia for Q1 was 87.68%.
Georgia also ranked low - 2nd worst - for three-to-five day performance, coming in at 51.80%. However, this is an area marked by lower performance overall, with the national average measuring 69.9%.
Georgia's low scores are not surprising, given months of postal problems and delays plaguing the state after the February launch of a new regional processing and distribution center in Palmetto. The facility, only the second like it to open across the country, is part of the Postal Service's 10-year "Delivering for America" plan. That plan was announced in 2021 as part of USPS' effort to save money and improve service times. Yet, mail delays ensued after the Palmetto facility's opening, prompting 11Alive to investigate the impact on prescriptions, sensitive financial info, small businesses and more.
Georgia's drop in performance for First Class mail - which can be measured weekly via the USPS Service Performance dashboard and hit a low of 36% after the facility's launch - also took the spotlight during a tense April 16 hearing on Capitol Hill. During that hearing, U.S. Senators including Georgia's Jon Ossoff, grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the DFA plan rollout and its impact on residents and businesses.
In a follow up, the postal chief pledged to pause some of the other major network changes set to take place nationwide until 2025. While service numbers are improving in Georgia per USPS self-reported data, 11Alive has continued to cover mail delays still occurring. In late June, Sen. Ossoff along with the Clerk of Courts for Fulton County revealed that more than 1,000 residents did not receive their letters from the court because they were marked "return to sender" during the week of June 3.
Those experiencing delays or who have not received mail can contact the newsroom with your concerns as we continue to cover this story. Fill out our online form below, and someone from our news team will follow up with you.