USPS reports positive margins

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reported a 4.6% operating margin for the 2004 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2004, on operating revenues of $68.9 billion for retained earnings of $897 million. Mail volume increased 1.9% to 206 billion pieces.

First-Class Mail volumes have been dropping (down from 103 billion units in 2001 to 97.9 billion in 2004), and are projected to fall below the volume of Standard Mail, which will have an impact on revenue per piece. Standard Mail increased from 89.9 billion pieces in 2001 to 95.5 billion pieces in 2004.

In total pieces, USPS reported an increase from 202 billion pieces in 2003 to 206 billion in 2004. Total weight increased-from 24.8 billion pounds to 25.2 billion pounds.