Housing
USPS Mail Carriers Are Also Collecting Crucial Housing Data
The U.S. Postal Service compiles information on every address in the country almost every day. Here's what they do with the numbers.
When they're not delivering mail or being bitten by dogs, U.S. Postal Service workers serve a third function: They collect property data on virtually every address in the nation. This service might be the postal worker's highest calling.
The Address Management System is a dataset compiled by USPS mail carriers and updated on the go as they perform their duties. Rain or shine, more than 307,000 mail carriers deliver mail to U.S. addresses nearly every day of the week. Mail carriers also compile parcel-level vacancy data to increase postal efficiencies, specifically by noting vacancies. These data help USPS clean up address lists that the agency provides to bulk mailers, among other things.