Dog attacks on postal workers reached a 7-year high last year, U.S. Postal Service data shows, with more than 6,000 dog attacks recorded.
Attacks are up 5% from 2023 and 15% from 2022, with the highest rate of attacks in the Midwest, according to an NBC News analysis of Postal Service data.
With more than 1 in 3 American households owning dogs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, danger abounds for mail carriers.
“[It’s] a real problem,” David Coleman, a spokesperson for the Postal Service, said in an email. “Dogs are animals, they act instinctively and can bite for any number of reasons. All it takes is just one wrong interaction/movement for our carriers to be injured.”
The Postal Service releases its dog attack figures every year as part of its Dog Bite Awareness campaign. The incidents, mostly self-reported by employees, include chases, bites, assaults and deaths, like that of a 61-year-old mail carrier in Florida who died in 2022 after she was mauled by five dogs.
Midwest states have a higher rate of dog attacks when the data is adjusted for the number of households. The six states with the highest rates of dog attacks — Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio — are all Midwestern.
In 2024, there were an average of 5.24 dog attacks per 100,000 households in the Midwest, a rate 75% higher than in the South.
Among cities with 10 or more dog attacks, eight are in California and seven are in Ohio, making up a quarter of the list.
For the 300,000-plus mail carriers in the United States, many of whom deliver to hundreds of addresses every day, the risk adds up. If a dog attack does occur, the financial and emotional impacts can be significant: In 2024, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite was nearly $70,000, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
To help minimize the risk of attacks, the Postal Service has instituted guidelines for interacting with dogs on routes and ways to protect against harm, including carrying dog repellant and using mail satchels to create distance from dogs.
Coleman had advice for dog owners: “The best way to keep safe from dog bites and attacks is to recognize and promote responsible pet ownership,” he said. “Teach your dog appropriate behavior and commands and don’t allow a dog to roam freely.”