America's dying postal service: By the numbers

&quot;Snail mail&quot; may be on the decline, but 64 percent of Americans still oppose the idea of closing post offices.

(Image credit: CC BY: Steve Johnson)

last updated 8 January 2015

The U.S. Postal Service is facing a whole host of problems: The rise of electronic communications, a corresponding decline in lucrative mass-market "junk" mail, federal regulators who won't allow it to cut Saturday services or raise stamp prices, and Congressional opposition to making other cuts. While the independent agency confronts federal oversight, it's also planning to close thousands of locations, mostly in rural and sparsely populated suburban areas. (Watch a local report about closing Post Offices.) Here's a look at USPS cost-cutting, by the numbers:

532,800