USPS Media Mail price history since 2011
A 1 lb USPS Media Mail package costs $4.39 today, up from $2.38 when 2011 began: $2.01 more, or +84.5%. A 10 lb package went from $5.89 to $11.02 (+87.1%). The price last changed when it fell $0.08 on Jul 12, 2026, from $4.47 to $4.39, and USPS's current price list (effective Oct 4, 2026) kept it. Media Mail peaked at $4.63 for 1 lb from Jul 14, 2024 to Jul 12, 2025.
Retail single-piece prices for any distance, from each USPS Notice 123 price list, keyed to the date each price took effect. Download: CSV or JSON (CC BY 4.0). Today's full 1-70 lb table: Media Mail rates.
Rates verified on
Media Mail prices, 2011 to now
- 1 lb
- 5 lb
- 10 lb
- No final USPS price list
Every confirmed Media Mail price since 2011
Newest first. "1 lb change" is the step from the row before it. The CSV and JSON add 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 lb and the other USPS editions each row was checked against.
| In effect | 1 lb | 2 lb | 3 lb | 5 lb | 10 lb | 1 lb change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2026 to now | $4.39 | $5.13 | $5.86 | $7.34 | $11.02 | -$0.08 (-1.8%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 13, 2025 to Jul 11, 2026 | $4.47 | $5.22 | $5.97 | $7.47 | $11.22 | -$0.16 (-3.5%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 14, 2024 to Jul 12, 2025 | $4.63 | $5.38 | $6.13 | $7.63 | $11.38 | +$0.50 (+12.1%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 21, 2024 to Jul 13, 2024 | $4.13 | $4.87 | $5.61 | $7.09 | $10.82 | +$0.21 (+5.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 9, 2023 to Jan 20, 2024 | $3.92 | $4.67 | $5.42 | $6.92 | $10.67 | +$0.27 (+7.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2023 to Jul 8, 2023 | $3.65 | $4.35 | $5.05 | $6.45 | $9.95 | +$0.16 (+4.6%) | Notice 123 |
| Jul 10, 2022 to Jan 21, 2023 | $3.49 | $4.16 | $4.83 | $6.17 | $9.61 | +$0.30 (+9.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Aug 29, 2021 to Jul 9, 2022 | $3.19 | $3.82 | $4.45 | $5.71 | $8.86 | +$0.30 (+10.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 24, 2021 to Aug 28, 2021 | $2.89 | $3.45 | $4.01 | $5.13 | $7.93 | +$0.09 (+3.2%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 26, 2020 to Jan 23, 2021 | $2.80 | $3.33 | $3.86 | $4.92 | $7.60 | +$0.05 (+1.8%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 27, 2019 to Jan 25, 2020 | $2.75 | $3.27 | $3.79 | $4.83 | $7.43 | +$0.09 (+3.4%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 21, 2018 to Jan 26, 2019 | $2.66 | $3.17 | $3.68 | $4.70 | $7.25 | +$0.03 (+1.1%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2017 to Jan 20, 2018 | $2.63 | $3.12 | $3.61 | $4.59 | $7.01 | +$0.02 (+0.8%) | Notice 123 |
| Apr 10, 2016 to Jan 21, 2017 | $2.61 | $3.09 | $3.57 | $4.53 | $6.93 | -$0.11 (-4.0%) | Notice 123 |
| May 31, 2015 to Apr 9, 2016 | $2.72 | $3.22 | $3.72 | $4.72 | $7.22 | +$0.03 (+1.1%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 26, 2014 to May 30, 2015 | $2.69 | $3.17 | $3.65 | $4.61 | $6.95 | +$0.16 (+6.3%) | Notice 123 |
| Jan 27, 2013 to Jan 25, 2014 | $2.53 | $2.98 | $3.43 | $4.33 | $6.52 | +$0.12 (+5.0%) since Apr 17, 2011 | Notice 123 |
| Jan 22, 2012 to Jan 26, 2013 | Not shown: the only archived price list for this period is marked DRAFT. USPS raised Media Mail and Library Mail prices an average of 2.6% on Jan 22, 2012. | Postal Bulletin | |||||
| Apr 17, 2011 to Jan 21, 2012 | $2.41 | $2.82 | $3.23 | $4.05 | $6.04 | +$0.03 (+1.3%) | Notice 123 |
| May 11, 2009 to Apr 16, 2011 | $2.38 | $2.77 | $3.16 | $3.94 | $5.89 | earliest row | Notice 123 |
Change since 2011, 1-10 lb
From the price in effect on Jan 1, 2011 (set May 11, 2009) to the price on Oct 14, 2026.
| Weight not over | Jan 1, 2011 | Now | Change | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | $2.38 | $4.39 | +$2.01 | +84.5% |
| 2 lb | $2.77 | $5.13 | +$2.36 | +85.2% |
| 3 lb | $3.16 | $5.86 | +$2.70 | +85.4% |
| 4 lb | $3.55 | $6.60 | +$3.05 | +85.9% |
| 5 lb | $3.94 | $7.34 | +$3.40 | +86.3% |
| 6 lb | $4.33 | $8.08 | +$3.75 | +86.6% |
| 7 lb | $4.72 | $8.81 | +$4.09 | +86.7% |
| 8 lb | $5.11 | $9.55 | +$4.44 | +86.9% |
| 9 lb | $5.50 | $10.29 | +$4.79 | +87.1% |
| 10 lb | $5.89 | $11.02 | +$5.13 | +87.1% |
Questions
How much has Media Mail gone up since 2011?
A 1 lb package cost $2.38 when 2011 began and costs $4.39 now, $2.01 more (+84.5%). A 10 lb package went from $5.89 to $11.02 (+87.1%). The single biggest step for 1 lb came on Jul 14, 2024: $4.13 to $4.63 (+12.1%). Prices are the retail single-piece prices in USPS Notice 123 and its archive.
When did Media Mail prices last change?
On Jul 12, 2026, when 1 lb fell from $4.47 to $4.39 (Notice 123, effective Jul 12, 2026). USPS's current price list, effective Oct 4, 2026, still shows $4.39 (Notice 123). For what may come next, see USPS price changes for 2027.
Has Media Mail ever gone down?
Yes. Among the confirmed prices since 2011, it fell 3 times: Apr 10, 2016 (1 lb $2.72 to $2.61), Jul 13, 2025 (1 lb $4.63 to $4.47) and Jul 12, 2026 (1 lb $4.47 to $4.39). Every other change in the table was an increase.
When does USPS usually change Media Mail prices?
Most often in January or July. Of the 19 Media Mail price changes since 2011 (counting Jan 22, 2012), 10 took effect in January and 5 in July; the others came in April, May and August. The latest 4: Jan 21, 2024, Jul 14, 2024, Jul 13, 2025 and Jul 12, 2026.
Why is 2012 missing?
USPS changed Media Mail and Library Mail prices on Jan 22, 2012, by an average of 2.6% (Postal Bulletin 22325). The only archived copy of that year's price list is marked DRAFT, and no other USPS edition or price file covers it, so we leave its prices out rather than guess. The Jan 27, 2013 change in the table is measured from the last confirmed price, $2.41.
How we built this
We read the Media Mail retail table in every archived Notice 123 since 2009 on USPS's Postal Explorer archive. Archive editions sometimes carry an older or newer price list than their own date, so each copy is keyed to the effective date printed on it. A row starts on the first price list that shows a price and ends the day before the next price took effect.
Every row is checked against at least one other USPS document: another Notice 123 edition, the archive's HTML copy, or, from 2017, USPS's price files. We don't fill gaps with numbers from other websites.
Related: today's Media Mail rates, cheapest way to ship books, postage calculator, USPS package price history, all price histories.
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS Notice 123: price list (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS Postal Explorer: Domestic Mail Manual archive (every Notice 123 edition used here)
- USPS Postal Explorer: Price and SKU File archive (price files used to cross-check rows from 2017)
- USPS Postal Bulletin 22325 (Dec 1, 2011): January 22, 2012 price change
- USPS Notice 123, effective Jul 12, 2026 (Postal Explorer DMM archive, Jul 12, 2026 edition)
- USPS Notice 123, effective Jul 13, 2025 (Postal Explorer DMM archive, Jul 13, 2025 edition)
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