With the advent of the internet, email, and paperless billing, fewer Americans are relying on a low-cost service that’s older than the country itself. The U.S. Postal Service recently slowed down mail delivery and raised the price of a standard postage stamp from 55 cents to 58 cents in an effort to make up for declining revenue. (Postal services are among the industries that will shrink the most over the next decade.)
The USPS lost $4.9 billion last year and $9.2 billion in 2020, which it attributed to a spike in demand for package deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic. Losses and waning demand began long before, however, and in response the USPS has closed post offices. The state that closed the most post offices so far is Kentucky.
Defenders of one of the oldest existing public institutions argue that slowing delivery could send the USPS into a death spiral even as many Americans still send mail the old-fashioned way, especially in rural areas. Other USPS frequent users include organizations that lack easy access to electronic alternatives, or people who find private for-profit delivery to be too costly.
To find the states with the most post offices per capita, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed USPS post office data by states. States are ranked by the number of post office locations that closed since the service was first established in 1775. State population data came from the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. To break ties we used population data, with higher populations ranking higher.
More than 8,500 post offices have been closed in the 50 U.S. states since the country’s founding, led by 901 closures in Kentucky. Today, there are about 15 post offices for every 100,000 Kentuckians, which is comparable to Missouri, even though the Show-Me state has a larger population today and has closed far fewer post offices. West Virginia ranks third in the number of post office closures, but has relatively more locations compared to most states, at 38 post offices for every 100,000 residents. (Here are the states with the most post offices per person.)
Out of the 10 most populous states, Pennsylvania and New York lead in post office closures, at 377 and 371, respectively. Sixteen states have shuttered at least 200 post offices in the country’s history, while 13 states have closed fewer than 60.
Among the 10 states with the smallest populations, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Alaska have shut down the fewest number of post offices. The reason is intuitive: smaller populations had fewer post offices to begin with.
Here are the states that have closed the most post offices.
50. Delaware
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 5
> Current post offices per capita: 5.7 post offices per 100,000 people — 9th lowest
> Population: 967,679 — 6th lowest
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49. Rhode Island
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 10
> Current post offices per capita: 4.7 post offices per 100,000 people — 5th lowest
> Population: 1,057,798 — 7th lowest
48. Alaska
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 14
> Current post offices per capita: 23.5 post offices per 100,000 people — 10th highest
> Population: 736,990 — 3rd lowest
47. Nevada
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 23
> Current post offices per capita: 2.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 4th lowest
> Population: 3,030,281 — 19th lowest
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46. Utah
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 29
> Current post offices per capita: 5.6 post offices per 100,000 people — 8th lowest
> Population: 3,151,239 — 21st lowest
45. Connecticut
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 39
> Current post offices per capita: 6.4 post offices per 100,000 people — 14th lowest
> Population: 3,570,549 — 22nd lowest
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44. New Jersey
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 43
> Current post offices per capita: 5.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 11th lowest
> Population: 8,885,418 — 11th highest
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43. Vermont
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 47
> Current post offices per capita: 43.4 post offices per 100,000 people — the highest
> Population: 624,340 — 2nd lowest
42. Hawaii
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 53
> Current post offices per capita: 5.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 7th lowest
> Population: 1,420,074 — 11th lowest
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41. Washington
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 53
> Current post offices per capita: 5.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 13th lowest
> Population: 7,512,465 — 13th highest
40. Montana
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 56
> Current post offices per capita: 29.3 post offices per 100,000 people — 6th highest
> Population: 1,061,705 — 8th lowest
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39. Arizona
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 57
> Current post offices per capita: 2.7 post offices per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest
> Population: 7,174,064 — 14th highest
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38. New Hampshire
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 59
> Current post offices per capita: 16.5 post offices per 100,000 people — 13th highest
> Population: 1,355,244 — 10th lowest
37. Idaho
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 62
> Current post offices per capita: 13.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 19th highest
> Population: 1,754,367 — 12th lowest
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36. Oregon
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 74
> Current post offices per capita: 7.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 21st lowest
> Population: 4,176,346 — 24th lowest
35. Massachusetts
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 86
> Current post offices per capita: 5.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 12th lowest
> Population: 6,873,003 — 15th highest
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34. New Mexico
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 89
> Current post offices per capita: 13.2 post offices per 100,000 people — 18th highest
> Population: 2,097,021 — 15th lowest
33. South Carolina
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 91
> Current post offices per capita: 7.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 18th lowest
> Population: 5,091,517 — 23rd highest
32. Colorado
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 96
> Current post offices per capita: 6.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 16th lowest
> Population: 5,684,926 — 21st highest
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31. Wyoming
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 100
> Current post offices per capita: 24.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 9th highest
> Population: 581,348 — 1st lowest
30. Maryland
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 115
> Current post offices per capita: 6.4 post offices per 100,000 people — 15th lowest
> Population: 6,037,624 — 19th highest
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29. Louisiana
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 124
> Current post offices per capita: 9.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 25th highest
> Population: 4,664,616 — 25th highest
28. South Dakota
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 125
> Current post offices per capita: 36.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 4th highest
> Population: 879,336 — 5th lowest
27. Indiana
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 131
> Current post offices per capita: 10.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 24th highest
> Population: 6,696,893 — 17th highest
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26. Nebraska
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 132
> Current post offices per capita: 24.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 8th highest
> Population: 1,923,826 — 14th lowest
25. Mississippi
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 133
> Current post offices per capita: 13.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 17th highest
> Population: 2,981,835 — 17th lowest
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24. Maine
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 140
> Current post offices per capita: 32.3 post offices per 100,000 people — 5th highest
> Population: 1,340,825 — 9th lowest
23. Arkansas
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 142
> Current post offices per capita: 19.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 12th highest
> Population: 3,011,873 — 18th lowest
22. Michigan
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 152
> Current post offices per capita: 8.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 22nd lowest
> Population: 9,973,907 — 10th highest
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21. Oklahoma
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 153
> Current post offices per capita: 14.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 15th highest
> Population: 3,949,342 — 23rd lowest
20. Florida
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 166
> Current post offices per capita: 2.1 post offices per 100,000 people — the lowest
> Population: 21,216,924 — 3rd highest
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19. Iowa
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 177
> Current post offices per capita: 26.4 post offices per 100,000 people — 7th highest
> Population: 3,150,011 — 20th lowest
18. Wisconsin
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 187
> Current post offices per capita: 12.2 post offices per 100,000 people — 22nd highest
> Population: 5,806,975 — 20th highest
17. Kansas
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 189
> Current post offices per capita: 19.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 11th highest
> Population: 2,912,619 — 16th lowest
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16. North Carolina
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 200
> Current post offices per capita: 7.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 17th lowest
> Population: 10,386,227 — 9th highest
15. Georgia
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 209
> Current post offices per capita: 5.8 post offices per 100,000 people — 10th lowest
> Population: 10,516,579 — 8th highest
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14. North Dakota
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 211
> Current post offices per capita: 39.3 post offices per 100,000 people — 2nd highest
> Population: 760,394 — 4th lowest
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13. Tennessee
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 213
> Current post offices per capita: 7.7 post offices per 100,000 people — 20th lowest
> Population: 6,772,268 — 16th highest
12. Ohio
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 225
> Current post offices per capita: 8.3 post offices per 100,000 people — 23rd lowest
> Population: 11,675,275 — 7th highest
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11. Minnesota
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 233
> Current post offices per capita: 13.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 20th highest
> Population: 5,600,166 — 22nd highest
10. California
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 236
> Current post offices per capita: 2.7 post offices per 100,000 people — 2nd lowest
> Population: 39,346,023 — 1st highest
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9. Alabama
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 249
> Current post offices per capita: 11.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 23rd highest
> Population: 4,893,186 — 24th highest
8. Illinois
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 262
> Current post offices per capita: 9.3 post offices per 100,000 people — 25th lowest
> Population: 12,716,164 — 6th highest
7. Texas
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 282
> Current post offices per capita: 4.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 6th lowest
> Population: 28,635,442 — 2nd highest
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6. Missouri
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 332
> Current post offices per capita: 4.9 post offices per 100,000 people — 6th lowest
> Population: 6,124,160 — 18th highest
5. New York
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 371
> Current post offices per capita: 7.6 post offices per 100,000 people — 19th lowest
> Population: 19,514,849 — 4th highest
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4. Pennsylvania
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 377
> Current post offices per capita: 13.0 post offices per 100,000 people — 21st highest
> Population: 12,794,885 — 5th highest
3. West Virginia
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 525
> Current post offices per capita: 37.5 post offices per 100,000 people — 3rd highest
> Population: 1,807,426 — 13th lowest
2. Virginia
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 547
> Current post offices per capita: 9.1 post offices per 100,000 people — 24th lowest
> Population: 8,509,358 — 12th highest
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1. Kentucky
> Total PO locations closed since 1775: 901
> Current post offices per capita: 15.5 post offices per 100,000 people — 14th highest
> Population: 4,461,952 — 25th lowest
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