USPS Stamp Price History: Every Rate Change Since 2019

The First-Class letter rate has risen nine times since 2019, from $0.55 to $0.82. The most recent step took effect July 12, 2026. If you are holding stamps bought at any of the older prices, the table below is the useful part: it shows what you paid against what those stamps are worth to mail with today.

Every First-Class rate change since 2019

A 2019 stamp has gained $0.27 in mailing power

This is the part most people miss. A Forever stamp bought in January 2019 cost $0.55. It mails a one-ounce letter today, and that letter needs $0.82 of postage. Nothing was printed on the stamp and nothing was reissued. It tracks the current rate, so the gap between what you paid and what it covers widens every time USPS raises prices.

Denominated stamps behave differently. A stamp printed with a value, say $0.55, is worth exactly that and needs topping up to reach the current rate. Both kinds stay valid indefinitely. Only the Forever stamps keep pace.

Two increases a year is the new normal

USPS receives no tax funding for its operations and covers its costs through postage revenue. Mail volume has fallen for two decades while the delivery network still reaches every address in the country, so the fixed cost of that network is spread over fewer pieces each year. Since 2021 the response has been steady, frequent increases rather than occasional large ones, which is why the table above has three entries from 2023 and 2024 alone.

If the drawer stamps are not going to get used

Holding Forever stamps beats discarding them, but holding them forever is not the same as using them. Unused stamps in good condition have resale value now, including older denominated ones that most buyers will not take. We buy from the public and pay within 3 business days of an accepted offer. What we pay is set out on the sell unused stamps page.