How long does mail take from Massachusetts?

A First Class letter mailed in Massachusetts usually takes 2 to 3 days to reach another address in the state, and 2 days is the most common standard USPS gives it. Letters to neighboring states such as New York and Connecticut usually take 2 to 3 days, while the farthest states, such as California and Washington, usually get 5 days.

Updated October 21, 2026

How long does mail take from Massachusetts to each state?

The map shades each state by the number of days USPS most often gives a First Class letter from Massachusetts, and the table under it gives the usual range for every state, so you can read off a trip like Massachusetts to California at a glance.

Massachusetts to Alabama: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Alaska: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Arizona: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Arkansas: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to California: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Colorado: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Connecticut: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to Delaware: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Washington, DC: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Florida: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Georgia: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Hawaii: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Idaho: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Illinois: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Indiana: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Iowa: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Kansas: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Kentucky: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Louisiana: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Maine: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to Maryland: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Michigan: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Minnesota: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Mississippi: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Missouri: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Montana: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Nebraska: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Nevada: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to New Hampshire: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to New Jersey: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to New Mexico: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to New York: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to North Carolina: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to North Dakota: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Ohio: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Oklahoma: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Oregon: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Pennsylvania: usually 2 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Rhode Island: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to South Carolina: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to South Dakota: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Tennessee: usually 3 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Texas: usually 4 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Utah: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to Vermont: usually 2 to 3 daysMassachusetts to Virginia: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Washington: usually 5 daysMassachusetts to West Virginia: usually 3 to 4 daysMassachusetts to Wisconsin: usually 3 to 5 daysMassachusetts to Wyoming: usually 4 to 5 daysWithin Massachusetts: usually 2 to 3 days
USPS First Class Mail letter standards from Massachusetts, from USPS's service standard directory effective October 1, 2026. "Usually" covers 8 of every 10 letters, weighted by where people live. Each state name links to the times from that state.
TripUsuallyMost oftenWithin 3 days
Within Massachusetts2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to Alabama4 to 5 days4 days4 percent
Massachusetts to Alaska4 to 5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Arizona5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Arkansas4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to California5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Colorado4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Connecticut2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to Delaware3 to 4 days3 days81 percent
Massachusetts to Washington, DC3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Florida4 to 5 days4 days1 percent
Massachusetts to Georgia4 to 5 days4 days7 percent
Massachusetts to Hawaii4 to 5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Idaho5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Illinois3 to 4 days3 days68 percent
Massachusetts to Indiana3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Iowa4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Kansas4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Kentucky3 to 4 days3 days72 percent
Massachusetts to Louisiana4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Maine2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to Maryland3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Michigan3 to 4 days3 days78 percent
Massachusetts to Minnesota4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Mississippi4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Missouri4 to 5 days4 days4 percent
Massachusetts to Montana5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Nebraska4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Nevada5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to New Hampshire2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to New Jersey2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to New Mexico4 to 5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to New York2 to 3 days2 days95 percent
Massachusetts to North Carolina3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to North Dakota4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Ohio3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Oklahoma4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Oregon5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Pennsylvania2 to 4 days3 days85 percent
Massachusetts to Rhode Island2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to South Carolina3 to 4 days3 days76 percent
Massachusetts to South Dakota4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Tennessee3 to 5 days4 days37 percent
Massachusetts to Texas4 to 5 days4 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Utah5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to Vermont2 to 3 days2 days100 percent
Massachusetts to Virginia3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Washington5 days5 days0 percent
Massachusetts to West Virginia3 to 4 days3 days80 percent
Massachusetts to Wisconsin3 to 5 days4 days41 percent
Massachusetts to Wyoming4 to 5 days5 days0 percent

How long does a letter take within Massachusetts?

USPS's directory gives 2 days to 80 percent of the letters that start and end in Massachusetts and 3 days to 20 percent. About 13 percent of the people in Massachusetts live in ZIP codes whose letters get a day more than the rest of their 3 digit ZIP area, which is the 2025 rule for post offices more than 50 miles' drive from the plant that sorts their mail. If you mail from one of those towns, expect the slower end of each range on this page.

Which states get mail from Massachusetts fastest?

USPS most often gives 3 days or fewer to letters from Massachusetts bound for 20 other states, led by New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine. To New Jersey, 100 percent of letters have a standard of 3 days or less.

Which states take the longest from Massachusetts?

USPS gives 5 days to most letters from Massachusetts going to 12 states, including California and Washington. A letter on one of these trips that goes out with Monday's pickup is due on Saturday, or a day later when a holiday falls in the week.

How much of the country is within 3 days of Massachusetts?

If you sent one letter from Massachusetts to every person in the country, Massachusetts included, USPS would give 37 percent of them a standard of 3 days or less. That ranks Massachusetts 9th of the 50 states and DC, and the state in the middle of that list is at 22 percent.

How do I find the exact days for one letter?

Each range on this page covers many ZIP codes, and one letter has a single number. For example, USPS gives a letter from ZIP 02301 in Massachusetts to ZIP 92336 in California 5 days. Our delivery time tool shows that number for any two ZIP codes and counts it out on the calendar, skipping Sundays and holidays.

How were these days worked out?

The days come from USPS's own service standard directory for First Class Mail, effective October 1, 2026, which we download from USPS's Service Standards Files API. It gives the days from every 3 digit ZIP area to every other, plus the 5 digit ZIP codes whose letters get a different number. For Massachusetts we took each of its 532 populated ZIP codes as a starting point and each 3 digit ZIP area of the destination state as an end point, and weighted every pair by the people who live at both ends, using the Census Bureau's 2023 population counts. "Usually" is the range that covers the middle 8 of every 10 letters, and "most often" is the single most common number.

A service standard is USPS's target for a stamped letter mailed before the day's last pickup, and First Class Mail has no delivery guarantee. Sundays and the 11 federal holidays USPS observes don't count as delivery days.

Sources

  1. USPS, Service Standards Files API, "3D Base Service Standard Directory" and "Supplemental Service Standard Directory FCM", effective October 1, 2026, downloaded October 21, 2026: developers.usps.com
  2. Code of Federal Regulations, 39 CFR 121.1, First Class Mail service standards: ecfr.gov
  3. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5 year estimates, table B01003, population by ZIP Code Tabulation Area: data.census.gov
  4. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area to county relationship file: census.gov
  5. USPS Service Standards API, spot checks on October 21, 2026 that matched the directory: ZIP 77494 to 34787, 3 days; ZIP 92336 to 11368, 5 days; ZIP 11368 to 92336, 5 days; ZIP 60629 to 60629, 2 days; ZIP 59001 to 59901, 4 days; ZIP 590 to 59901, 3 days

Follow your letter on its way

PigeonTrail shows every USPS scan on the letters you mail with a stamp and tells you when one falls behind USPS's date. Your first 100 letters each month are free.