Texas ranked as the second-worst state in the country in terms of volume of dog bite incidents on mail carriers in 2024, the USPS’ new study reveals.
DALLAS — Dallas is among the worst cities in the United States for dog attacks on U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers, according to a new study conducted by the USPS that tracked the volume of bites on mail carriers over the course of 2024.
In all, the city recorded 43 incidents last year, placing it sixth on the national list. Among Texas cities, Dallas’ bite total only trailed Houston’s 65.
Check out the entire top 10 list:
- Los Angeles: 77
- Houston: 65
- Chicago: 57
- St. Louis: 47
- Cincinnati: 44
- Dallas: 43
- Kansas City: 40
- Cleveland: 40
- San Diego: 35
- Denver: 34
While the idea of a tense dog-mail carrier relationship may be a bit cliché, it’s also serious business, according to the USPS.
“Many of us are dog lovers, but few of us are dog experts,” the USPS said in a statement issued alongside the release of their 2024 study. “All dogs — regardless of breed, size or age — have the potential to bite.”
On a state level, Texas ranks as the second-worst state for dog bite incidents on postal workers, with 438 attacks reported in 2024. That number was dwarfed, however, by the total of incidents in California throughout last year — 701, or 38% more than Texas had.
- California: 701
- Texas: 438
- Ohio: 350
- Illinois: 344
- New York: 322
The Postal Service released the rankings this week as part of its annual national dog bite awareness campaign, which is aimed at teaching dog owners to prevent future attacks. The data also showed that dog attacks are a growing problem, increasing from 5,300 incidents nationwide in 2022 to more than 6,000 in 2024.
Per the USPS, dog attacks not only threaten the safety and health of postal workers but they can also come at a significant cost to dog owners, who may be liable for thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages if their pet attacks a mail carrier. If a carrier feels unsafe about delivering to a home with a dog that threatens them, mail service may also be suspended to that address, requiring residents to retrieve their mail at the local post office or to rent a P.O. box until the situation is resolved.
“Customers may not consider their dog a danger to others; however, to a letter carrier like me, all dogs can be considered a threat when delivering the mail,” letter carrier Jonah Helfrich said in the USPS statement on the study. “I was recently delivering mail and a dog barged through a door and bit me on the wrist, which required me to seek medical treatment.”