EDDM & Direct Mail Statistics (With Sources)
Response-rate, ROI, and engagement benchmarks for EDDM and direct mail — every figure attributed to USPS or the ANA Response Rate Report so you can verify it.
Cited benchmarks
- 5–9% — house-list direct mail response rate (ANA Response Rate Report)
- ~112% — median direct mail ROI, vs. ~93% paid search and ~89% online display (ANA)
- ~79% — households that read or scan their mail (USPS research)
- ~454 — mail pieces received per household per year (USPS data)
- 72% — consumers who took action because of direct mail (USPS)
- $0.242 — EDDM postage per piece, pass-through (USPS Marketing Mail saturation)
Sources
Figures above are drawn from the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) Response Rate Report and USPS household/mail research. EDDM postage reflects the USPS Marketing Mail saturation rate that EDDM2GO passes through at $0.242 per piece.
Related: EDDM vs. direct mail · best industries for EDDM · EDDM specifications guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a good response rate for an EDDM campaign?
- Industry benchmarks from the ANA Response Rate Report put direct mail house-list response around 5–9% and prospect-list response around 4–5%. EDDM is a saturation (every-door) channel rather than a targeted-list channel, so plan around your offer's relevance to the neighborhood rather than a single guaranteed number — response depends heavily on the offer, the design, and how well the route matches your customer.
- Is direct mail's ROI really competitive with digital?
- According to the ANA, direct mail's median ROI has been reported at roughly 112%, in the same range as or above paid search (~93%) and online display (~89%). Always model your own numbers: print + postage cost against your average customer value.
- Why does this page cite sources when other EDDM sites don't?
- Most direct mail statistics online are repeated with no source, which makes them hard to trust. We attribute every figure here to USPS or the ANA and link to the source so you can verify it. If we can't cite a number, we don't publish it.
- How do these stats apply to EDDM specifically?
- EDDM uses USPS Marketing Mail saturation rates and reaches every address on the carrier routes you select — no mailing list. EDDM's advantage is cost and coverage (postage of $0.242 per piece and full-route reach), which makes it especially efficient when your offer is relevant to most households in an area.