WARREN — The latest data available from the Postal Regulatory Commission about on-time delivery of mail shows improvements in on-time deliveries over last year in the Northern Ohio district.

The latest data available is for the U.S. Postal Service’s fourth quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, representing deliveries between July 1 and Sept. 30. Data for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 will be available in 2022, so the latest data available does not cover deliveries for this holiday season.

The data shows packages delivered in the fourth quarter in fiscal year 2021 were received on time 94.5 percent of the time, compared to just 88.2 percent of the time in the same quarter in 2020.

During the 2020 holiday season, the first quarter of 2021, packages were delivered on time 80.4 percent of the time. In Northern Ohio, the percentage of on-time package deliveries rose from 81.9 between Jan. 1 to 90.7 between April and June, showing a trend of increasingly on-time deliveries.

A similar trend occurred with the on-time delivery rates for single-piece, first-class mail in the district. During the 2020 holiday season, 41.1 percent of the mail was delivered on time, and the figure increased to 65.9 percent in April to June 2021, before hitting 74.6 percent in the most recent quarter.

Meanwhile, presorted, first-class mail arrived in three-to-five days just 52 percent of the time from Jan. 1 to March 31 this year. But the rate jumped to 82.7 percent of the time in April to June and was up to 88.7 percent between July and Sept. 30 this year. During Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, the mail was delivered within the time frame 63.8 percent of the time.

On-time rates for two-day delivery and overnight delivery were higher during the same quarters for presorted mail, as were the rates for on-time, two-day delivery for single-piece, first-class mail in the district.

The overall on-time rate for the fourth quarter of 2021 in the Northern Ohio district was 89.5 percent, a few percentage points above the target rate of 87.8.

The USPS’ peak season runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, when postal workers deliver approximately 12 billion letters, greeting cards and packages, according to the USPS.

To prepare for the peak season this year, the postal service brought on 185,000 new employees, including a drive to hire 40,000 seasonal employees, according to the postal service.

The service installed 112 new package sorting machines and leased additional space in some cities to accommodate the volume of mail.

The national daily average amount of time for a delivery on Dec. 16 was 2.7 days, according to the USPS.

Although 2021 quarter figures are above 2020 rates, they still fall below higher rates achieved in 2019, 2018 and 2017 nationally and in the Northern Ohio district.

Despite improved statistics in the Northern Ohio district, local residents report anecdotal stories of late or missing mail.

Tom Sinopoli of Brookfield ordered medication through the mail about two months ago and still hasn’t received the initial package.

“We started checking after it was two weeks late and nothing. We were able to contact the pharmacy and get a replacement prescription. We got that three days later, but it was through UPS, not the U.S. Postal Service,” Sinopoli said.

When the Sinopolis mailed a check to pay a cable bill, the check never arrived.

“We sent it out a month ago; we just now got the email that they got it. And since then, we’ve received another bill with late charges,” Sinopoli said.

He also has noticed his bills are arriving later than usual, about three days on average.

“The problem seems to be with anything that is coming in or out of the state. The problem doesn’t seem to be with mail being sent within the state. I wonder if it has something to do with how it is handled in Cleveland,” Sinopoli said.

Tracking on the missing medication package showed the package made it from Pittsburgh to Ohio in about two days, and then it “just disappeared,” Sinopoli said.

Wary of late charges or hits to their credit scores, the Sinopolis said they have taken to paying the bills they can in local offices, but that doesn’t work for things like credit card bills, Sinopoli said.

“Hopefully, after the holidays it will get better,” he said.

If last year’s data holds true, the on-time delivery rates in the area are likely to improve in the next quarter for most mail.

For assistance with missing mail, visit https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Missing-Mail-The-Basics.

rfox@tribtoday.com