The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to be a vital part of everyday life, whether it’s delivering care packages to loved ones, ensuring critical mail arrives on time, or simply adding a touch of sentiment with the right postage stamp. As with every year, 2025 brings changes to its services and prices that are sure to catch the attention of anyone who depends on the system. With adjustments approved by the USPS Board of Governors, these shifts will impact how Americans interact with the postal service.
Starting January 19, some USPS shipping services will see price hikes. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express are each slated for a 3.2 percent increase. Priority Mail remains a reliable option for those looking for one-to-three-day delivery, while its faster counterpart guarantees overnight delivery to certain destinations. USPS Ground Advantage, a budget-friendly choice for two-to-five-day delivery, will rise by 3.9 percent. Businesses relying on Parcel Select for bulk shipments will bear the brunt of the changes, with prices surging by 9.2 percent. As businesses and individuals weigh these increases, they may start wondering if affordability is taking a back seat to operational costs.
Fortunately, for everyday mail users, the cost of a Forever stamp will hold steady—at least for now. After rising twice in 2024—from 66 cents in January to 73 cents by July—the cost will remain at 73 cents through the first half of 2025, according to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. While the USPS won’t propose another increase before July, the steady climb in stamp prices over the past eight years has become a sore spot for many. Introduced at just 41 cents in 2007, the Forever stamp now feels less like a deal and more like a necessity subjected to inflation.
Meanwhile, the USPS is adjusting its delivery performance goals for fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. The revised targets aim for 87 percent on-time delivery for two-day first-class mail, down from 93 percent in 2024. For three-to-five-day mail, the goal has dropped from 90 percent to 80 percent. These reductions in standards might leave customers questioning the reliability of the service they’ve come to depend on, particularly in rural or underserved areas where USPS is often the only viable mail carrier.
As Americans absorb these changes, it’s clear the USPS is grappling with balancing operational costs, performance targets, and customer expectations. While the adjustments may seem minor on paper, their cumulative impact on households, small businesses, and even corporate mailers could be significant. With rising prices and scaled-back delivery goals, the Postal Service is signaling that it’s navigating financial and logistical challenges, leaving customers to decide whether it’s still delivering the same value they’ve come to expect.
