A new white paper from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) assessed changes in the geographic distribution of collection points and retail sites, and the extent to which these changes display patterns that may have disproportionately affected populations in locations with specific racial, ethnic, and income characteristics. The OIG also identified demographic trends in service performance scores and the volume of negative customer feedback across the U.S. USPS is not required to consider a community’s demographic characteristics — such as race, ethnicity, and income — when implementing changes to mail access or evaluating service quality. However, if the Postal Service considered demographic data, management would be better informed about the potential unintended consequences of their decisions.
Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
U.S. Postal Service OIG
Other Participating OIGs
U.S. Postal Service OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
U.S. Postal Service
Report Number
RISC-WP-22-005
Report Description
Report Type
Inspection / Evaluation
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
1
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
