Delivery Times by State: The Fastest and Slowest States for USPS Mail
USPS publishes a delivery standard for every pair of 3-digit ZIP Code areas in the country.
We took the directory effective October 1, 2026, all 814,506 routes inside the lower 48 states and DC, and averaged the standard days by state.
It ranks the days USPS sets as its standard, not how often it delivers on time.
Looking for one route, such as California to Texas? See mail time between states.
By Hamdi Saidani.
Key Findings
- Fastest states to send from: Washington, DC (3.34), Delaware (3.39), New Jersey (3.49). A First-Class letter from Washington, DC has a USPS standard of 3.34 days on average to the rest of the lower 48.
- Slowest states to send from: Washington State (4.66), Nevada (4.65), Oregon (4.63), Idaho (4.62), Arizona (4.59). Mail from Washington State takes 1.32 days longer on average than mail from Washington, DC, and 74.5% of its routes sit at the 5-day maximum.
- Receiving: the Midwest gets its mail fastest (Illinois (3.70), Indiana (3.71), Ohio (3.74)); the West Coast waits longest (Oregon (4.66), Washington State (4.63), California (4.55)).
- National picture: the average First-Class standard across all lower-48 routes is 4.00 days. Only 4.1% of routes are 2-day; 32.2% are 5-day. Priority Mail has no 1-day route left in the directory: 18.1% of routes are 2-day and 81.9% are 3-day. Ground Advantage averages 3.65 days.
The slower list: USPS's supplemental directory names 25,268 origin ZIP codes, in 547 of the 3-digit areas, where at least one mail class has a standard one day slower than the rest of the area; 13,297 of them for First-Class Mail, the rest for Priority Mail only.
California has the most (2,054), then Texas (1,744) and New York (1,660). Vermont has the fewest (50).
- Mail within a state: a First-Class letter that stays inside Delaware has a USPS standard of 2.00 days on average; inside South Dakota it is 3.39 days, the longest in-state standard in the lower 48.
The Lower 48 States and DC Ranked by the Standard for Mail Sent From Them
Average USPS standard days from each state to every 3-digit ZIP area in the lower 48 states and DC, every route counted once.
- First-Class Mail is the letter standard;
- Ground Advantage is the package standard (under 16 oz);
- Priority is 2 or 3 days everywhere.
- "5-day routes" is the share of a state's First-Class routes at the maximum.
- "Slower ZIPs" is the number of the state's ZIP codes on USPS's 5-digit list.
| # | State | First-Class days | Ground Adv. days | Priority days | 5-day routes | 2-day Priority | Slower ZIPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC (DC) | 3.34 | 3.00 | 2.64 | 12.3% | 36.1% | 71 |
| 2 | Delaware (DE) | 3.39 | 3.07 | 2.69 | 13.4% | 31.2% | 94 |
| 3 | New Jersey (NJ) | 3.49 | 3.17 | 2.62 | 16.3% | 37.6% | 686 |
| 4 | Ohio (OH) | 3.57 | 3.15 | 2.72 | 15.7% | 27.7% | 1,001 |
| 5 | Indiana (IN) | 3.59 | 3.32 | 2.82 | 12.8% | 17.6% | 601 |
| 6 | Maryland (MD) | 3.61 | 3.28 | 2.68 | 19.8% | 31.6% | 444 |
| 7 | Rhode Island (RI) | 3.63 | 3.24 | 2.68 | 19.4% | 32.1% | 90 |
| 8 | Michigan (MI) | 3.66 | 3.32 | 2.81 | 16.6% | 18.7% | 882 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 3.69 | 3.34 | 2.74 | 21.4% | 26.1% | 1,362 |
| 10 | Massachusetts (MA) | 3.74 | 3.35 | 2.69 | 24.6% | 30.9% | 576 |
| 11 | South Carolina (SC) | 3.75 | 3.42 | 2.84 | 20.1% | 15.6% | 279 |
| 12 | Virginia (VA) | 3.76 | 3.43 | 2.79 | 22.6% | 20.6% | 720 |
| 13 | Tennessee (TN) | 3.77 | 3.43 | 2.86 | 17.5% | 13.7% | 469 |
| 14 | Illinois (IL) | 3.78 | 3.43 | 2.86 | 16% | 14.2% | 940 |
| 15 | North Carolina (NC) | 3.78 | 3.43 | 2.81 | 21% | 18.7% | 697 |
| 16 | Kentucky (KY) | 3.79 | 3.44 | 2.87 | 18.6% | 13.4% | 459 |
| 17 | New York (NY) | 3.80 | 3.43 | 2.76 | 25.9% | 23.9% | 1,660 |
| 18 | Connecticut (CT) | 3.83 | 3.51 | 2.79 | 28.7% | 21.2% | 285 |
| 19 | Florida (FL) | 3.83 | 3.35 | 2.80 | 18.1% | 19.6% | 1,370 |
| 20 | West Virginia (WV) | 3.93 | 3.58 | 2.90 | 25.9% | 9.7% | 348 |
| 21 | Minnesota (MN) | 3.96 | 3.44 | 2.89 | 24% | 11.5% | 580 |
| 22 | Missouri (MO) | 3.96 | 3.55 | 2.90 | 25.1% | 9.6% | 638 |
| 23 | Alabama (AL) | 3.98 | 3.70 | 2.94 | 24.2% | 5.6% | 357 |
| 24 | Iowa (IA) | 3.99 | 3.58 | 2.92 | 26.5% | 7.7% | 547 |
| 25 | Georgia (GA) | 4.02 | 3.71 | 2.92 | 27.9% | 7.9% | 377 |
| 26 | Wisconsin (WI) | 4.02 | 3.63 | 2.91 | 26.8% | 9.1% | 240 |
| 27 | Oklahoma (OK) | 4.05 | 3.59 | 2.91 | 30.2% | 8.7% | 465 |
| 28 | Nebraska (NE) | 4.08 | 3.67 | 2.92 | 33.8% | 7.6% | 301 |
| 29 | Maine (ME) | 4.09 | 3.73 | 2.85 | 38.8% | 14.7% | 327 |
| 30 | Texas (TX) | 4.09 | 3.73 | 2.89 | 32.7% | 11.2% | 1,744 |
| 31 | Kansas (KS) | 4.11 | 3.69 | 2.93 | 33.1% | 6.6% | 289 |
| 32 | Colorado (CO) | 4.16 | 3.84 | 2.87 | 36.1% | 13% | 401 |
| 33 | Mississippi (MS) | 4.19 | 3.88 | 2.98 | 29.8% | 2.3% | 152 |
| 34 | New Hampshire (NH) | 4.23 | 3.93 | 2.91 | 46.3% | 8.7% | 116 |
| 35 | Louisiana (LA) | 4.24 | 3.89 | 2.97 | 41% | 2.6% | 310 |
| 36 | Arkansas (AR) | 4.26 | 3.91 | 2.99 | 35.6% | 1.2% | 299 |
| 37 | Utah (UT) | 4.27 | 3.84 | 2.71 | 44.9% | 28.8% | 242 |
| 38 | Vermont (VT) | 4.37 | 4.12 | 3.00 | 51.3% | 0% | 50 |
| 39 | North Dakota (ND) | 4.40 | 3.95 | 2.97 | 50.3% | 3.3% | 96 |
| 40 | South Dakota (SD) | 4.44 | 4.00 | 2.99 | 51.9% | 0.8% | 192 |
| 41 | California (CA) | 4.49 | 4.21 | 2.52 | 63.7% | 47.6% | 2,054 |
| 42 | New Mexico (NM) | 4.52 | 4.22 | 2.95 | 59.1% | 4.7% | 146 |
| 43 | Wyoming (WY) | 4.52 | 4.22 | 2.99 | 59.9% | 0.8% | 69 |
| 44 | Montana (MT) | 4.56 | 4.23 | 2.95 | 63.2% | 5.4% | 256 |
| 45 | Arizona (AZ) | 4.59 | 4.30 | 2.79 | 67.1% | 21.2% | 246 |
| 46 | Idaho (ID) | 4.62 | 4.39 | 2.72 | 69.4% | 28.2% | 149 |
| 47 | Oregon (OR) | 4.63 | 4.45 | 2.75 | 72.9% | 24.7% | 310 |
| 48 | Nevada (NV) | 4.65 | 4.45 | 2.80 | 72.9% | 19.8% | 160 |
| 49 | Washington State (WA) | 4.66 | 4.43 | 2.64 | 74.5% | 36.4% | 520 |
Source: USPS 3D Base Service Standard Directory effective October 1, 2026; slower ZIP counts from the USPS Supplemental Service Standard Directory of the same date. Alaska, Hawaii and the territories are left out: this ranking covers the lower 48 states and DC.
Receiving Mail: Where It Arrives Fastest and Slowest
The same directory read the other way: the average standard days for mail sent to each state from every lower-48 area. The order changes: the Midwest is central, so it receives fastest; the West Coast is far from most senders.
Fastest to receive
| State | First-Class days | 5-day routes |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 3.70 | 15.6% |
| Indiana | 3.71 | 18.2% |
| Ohio | 3.74 | 21.4% |
| Missouri | 3.75 | 12.6% |
| Tennessee | 3.77 | 20.4% |
| Iowa | 3.78 | 13% |
| Washington, DC | 3.79 | 29.8% |
| Kentucky | 3.80 | 22.2% |
| Michigan | 3.80 | 22% |
| Maryland | 3.81 | 30.6% |
Slowest to receive
| State | First-Class days | 5-day routes |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 4.66 | 75.7% |
| Washington State | 4.63 | 71.8% |
| California | 4.55 | 68.5% |
| Idaho | 4.54 | 63.9% |
| Nevada | 4.48 | 62% |
| Montana | 4.43 | 51.3% |
| Arizona | 4.39 | 52.3% |
| Utah | 4.28 | 43.4% |
| Louisiana | 4.23 | 35.9% |
| South Dakota | 4.22 | 36% |
All 49 rows are in the by-destination CSV below.
The 5-Digit Slower List, by State
Besides the 3-digit table, USPS publishes a supplemental directory of 5-digit origin ZIP codes whose standard is slower than their area's.
In the October 1, 2026 file every listed pair is exactly one day slower (a handful are two). 25,268 ZIP codes are listed for at least one mail class and 13,297 for First-Class Mail.
The count per state mostly follows the number of ZIP codes a state has, so big states lead; the share of a state's ZIPs is not available because USPS does not publish a ZIP count per state in the same file.
Most ZIP codes on the list
| State | Slower ZIPs (any class) | First-Class |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2,054 | 797 |
| Texas | 1,744 | 927 |
| New York | 1,660 | 1,022 |
| Florida | 1,370 | 642 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,362 | 567 |
| Ohio | 1,001 | 535 |
| Illinois | 940 | 512 |
| Michigan | 882 | 504 |
| Virginia | 720 | 432 |
| North Carolina | 697 | 394 |
| New Jersey | 686 | 180 |
| Missouri | 638 | 371 |
Fewest
| State | Slower ZIPs (any class) | First-Class |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 50 | 50 |
| Wyoming | 69 | 69 |
| Washington, DC | 71 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 90 | 79 |
| Delaware | 94 | 72 |
| North Dakota | 96 | 54 |
| New Hampshire | 116 | 91 |
| New Mexico | 146 | 72 |
To see whether your ZIP code is on the list, enter it as the origin in the delivery time calculator. The result adds the day and says so under the ZIP pair. The ship-by date calculator does the same for deadlines.
State by State: In-State Mail, Fastest and Slowest Routes
For each state: the average First-Class standard for mail that stays inside the state, the other state it reaches fastest, and the state it reaches slowest (average days for the state pair).
| From | In-state days | Fastest other state | Slowest destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2.75 | TN (3.06) | WA (5.00) |
| Arizona | 2.89 | NV (3.31) | WV (5.00) |
| Arkansas | 3.15 | MS (3.33) | OR (4.99) |
| California | 2.66 | NV (2.74) | WV (5.00) |
| Colorado | 2.61 | WY (2.90) | VT (5.00) |
| Connecticut | 2.40 | DE (2.40) | WA (5.00) |
| Delaware | 2.00 | CT (2.00) | WA (5.00) |
| Florida | 2.34 | GA (2.94) | WA (5.00) |
| Georgia | 3.14 | AL (3.07) | WA (5.00) |
| Idaho | 2.98 | WA (3.31) | WV (5.00) |
| Illinois | 2.90 | WI (3.01) | OR (4.70) |
| Indiana | 2.58 | IL (2.72) | OR (4.92) |
| Iowa | 2.60 | NE (2.96) | WA (4.65) |
| Kansas | 2.83 | MO (2.84) | VT (4.74) |
| Kentucky | 2.95 | IN (3.05) | OR (4.96) |
| Louisiana | 3.04 | TX (3.10) | OR (4.92) |
| Maine | 2.36 | MA (2.45) | WA (5.00) |
| Maryland | 2.31 | DC (2.31) | WA (5.00) |
| Massachusetts | 2.16 | CT (2.16) | WA (5.00) |
| Michigan | 2.57 | OH (2.71) | OR (4.94) |
| Minnesota | 2.53 | ND (3.00) | FL (4.42) |
| Mississippi | 2.89 | AR (3.20) | OR (4.99) |
| Missouri | 2.73 | KS (2.90) | OR (4.68) |
| Montana | 2.90 | WA (3.41) | VT (5.00) |
| Nebraska | 2.99 | IA (2.92) | VT (4.62) |
| Nevada | 3.14 | CA (3.36) | WV (5.00) |
| New Hampshire | 2.70 | VT (2.60) | WA (5.00) |
| New Jersey | 2.10 | CT (2.10) | WA (5.00) |
| New Mexico | 2.99 | AZ (3.77) | VT (5.00) |
| New York | 2.82 | NJ (2.67) | WA (5.00) |
| North Carolina | 2.45 | SC (2.58) | WA (5.00) |
| North Dakota | 2.73 | SD (3.26) | FL (4.79) |
| Ohio | 2.34 | IN (2.69) | CA (4.95) |
| Oklahoma | 2.56 | TX (3.27) | OR (4.67) |
| Oregon | 2.58 | WA (2.95) | WV (5.00) |
| Pennsylvania | 2.65 | DC (2.43) | WA (5.00) |
| Rhode Island | 2.00 | CT (2.00) | WA (5.00) |
| South Carolina | 2.51 | NC (2.54) | WA (5.00) |
| South Dakota | 3.39 | ND (3.31) | VT (4.88) |
| Tennessee | 2.80 | AL (3.00) | OR (4.95) |
| Texas | 2.97 | OK (3.25) | VT (4.69) |
| Utah | 2.47 | WY (3.03) | VT (5.00) |
| Vermont | 2.69 | NH (2.89) | WY (5.00) |
| Virginia | 2.61 | MD (2.59) | WA (5.00) |
| Washington State | 2.49 | OR (2.99) | WV (5.00) |
| Washington, DC | 2.00 | DE (2.00) | WA (5.00) |
| West Virginia | 2.66 | DC (2.73) | WA (5.00) |
| Wisconsin | 3.01 | IL (3.13) | NV (4.79) |
| Wyoming | 3.26 | CO (3.21) | VT (5.00) |
Why the Map Looks Like This
Distance sets the standard. USPS assigns days by how far the mail has to travel between processing plants, and since October 2021 USPS moves more long-distance First-Class Mail on its ground network, with a 5-day maximum instead of the old 3.
A state in the middle of the population, like Ohio or Indiana, is within 4 days on about 8 in 10 routes, sending or receiving. A state in the far corner, like Washington or Oregon, is 5 days from most of the country in both directions.
Small eastern states lead. DC, Delaware and New Jersey top the sending list. Large western states carry many long routes, and averages count every route once.
The slower list and the 2025 change. In 2025 USPS changed its transportation: Post Offices more than 50 miles from a regional plant now usually get one truck a day, and USPS added one day to the First-Class Mail and Ground Advantage standards for mail from them.
The supplemental directory lists 13,297 origin ZIP codes that are a day slower for First-Class Mail (25,268 counting every class).
To see if a ZIP code's post office is on USPS's RTO list, and when the change started there, use our USPS RTO lookup by ZIP code.
The Priority Mail list is a different animal: it includes downtown ZIP codes in Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland and Seattle, where a 2-day Priority standard to some destinations becomes 3-day, while First-Class from those same ZIPs is unchanged.
A standard is the number of days USPS expects, not a measurement. USPS reports separately how often mail meets its standard, and that is where the "worst state for mail" headlines come from.
A state can rank well here and badly there. Use this page for the standard, and USPS's own Service Performance Results page (about.usps.com) for what it delivers.
Method, Sources and Data Download
- Source files: USPS 3D Base Service Standard Directory and Supplemental Service Standard Directory, effective October 1, 2026, downloaded from PostalPro (postalpro.usps.com/operations/service-standards). Column definitions from the USPS "SSMP Service Standards File Layout".
- What was counted: 849,106 origin-destination pairs of 3-digit ZIP areas in the base file, of which 814,506 have both ends in the 48 contiguous states or DC. Each pair counts once. Averages are not weighted by mail volume or population.
- State of a ZIP area: each 3-digit prefix is assigned to one state, following the standard USPS prefix ranges (all 929 prefixes in the file are mapped).
- Not included: Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the territories and military addresses (except ZIP 340, which the study counts with Florida); and the Priority Mail 5-digit destination exceptions, which are pair-specific and not summarised here.
- Checks: every number was recomputed by a second, independent script from the raw USPS files before publication.
Download the data (free, CC BY 4.0, cite this page)
- All 849,106 ZIP-area pairs, every mail class in the directory, with state codes (CSV, zipped, 2.5 MB)
- By origin state (this page's ranking)
- By destination state
- State to state: average, min and max days for each state pair
- README: columns and caveats
Cite as: Hamdi Saidani, "USPS Delivery Times by State", deliverytimecalculator.com, October 2026. Journalists: state-level or city-level figures for your area on request through the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as the 'worst states for mail' rankings in the news?
No. News rankings use USPS's measured on-time performance: how often mail actually arrived within its standard. This page ranks the standard itself, the number of days USPS expects for each pair of ZIP areas.
A state can have a fast standard and poor performance, or the other way round. Both matter; this page covers the standard, because USPS publishes it for every ZIP pair.
Why are the western states the slowest?
Distance and the 2021 change. Since October 2021 stamped First-Class Mail in the lower 48 runs 2 to 5 days instead of 2 to 3, and USPS moved more long-distance mail from planes to its ground network.
Mail from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona has to cross the widest part of the country to reach most addresses, so a large share of its routes sit at the 5-day maximum.
Mail from Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, Delaware and DC has a standard of 4 days or less on more than 8 in 10 routes.
How do I know if my ZIP code is on the slower list?
USPS lists 25,268 origin ZIP codes whose mail takes a day longer than the rest of their area.
Enter your 5-digit ZIP as the origin in the delivery time calculator on this site: if it is on the list, the result adds the day and says so under the ZIP pair.
How can I view the official USPS service standards map?
USPS publishes a consumer map at usps.com/service-standards and a business version at postalpro.usps.com/tools/ssmaps. Both show the standard from one 3-digit ZIP area.
The calculator on this site uses the same directory and answers for any two ZIP codes, including the 5-digit exceptions.
Why is USPS mail slower in 2026 than it used to be?
Two published changes. In October 2021 USPS lengthened First-Class Mail standards from 1 to 3 days to 1 to 5 days, so it could move more mail on its ground network.
In 2025 it added one day to the First-Class Mail and Ground Advantage standards for mail from ZIP codes more than 50 miles from a USPS regional plant.
USPS's supplemental directory, counted on this page, lists the 5-digit ZIP codes whose standard is slower than the rest of their area.
In September 2026 the Government Accountability Office reported that the 2025 change could add at least one day for mail sent from affected post offices.
It also reported that the Postal Regulatory Commission and USPS's Inspector General warned rural customers would likely be hit hardest, and that USPS has not met most of its First-Class Mail targets since fiscal year 2022.