The United States Postal Service released its national ranking of cities where the most dog attacks on mail carriers occurred in 2023, and California and Texas topped the list for a second year in a row.
Los Angeles rose to No. 1 on the list with 65 attacks. Houston was second on the list with 56 attacks.
When it comes to top dog bite states, California leads again with 727 attacks statewide in 2023. Texas follows with 411 attacks.
Last year, there were more than 5,800 documented cases of dog attacks on postal service employees across the U.S. That’s 500 more than the previous year.
USPS shares these statistics for its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign to promote dog bite awareness to keep pets, their owners and letter carriers safe when delivering the mail.
“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS manager, employee safety and health awareness.
To avoid a potential attack, USPS recommends that dog owners secure their pets before a carrier arrives at their home.
Pets should be:
Inside the home or behind a fence
Away from the door in another room; or
On a leash
Owners can use USPS Informed Delivery to anticipate when their carrier will arrive in order to stay prepared.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder. “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
Here is the full list of top 20 cities for dog attacks on mail carriers in the U.S. in 2023:
1. Los Angeles, CA — 65
2. Houston, TX — 56
3. Chicago, IL — 48
4. St. Louis, MO — 46
5. Cleveland, OH — 44
6. San Diego, CA — 41
7. Dallas, TX — 39
8. Cincinnati, OH — 38
9. Philadelphia, PA — 34
10. Columbus, OH — 33
11. Kansas City, MO — 32
12. Indianapolis, IN — 30
13. Memphis, TN — 29
14. Louisville, KY — 28
15. Minneapolis, MN — 27
16. Albuquerque, NM — 26
16. San Antonio, TX — 26
16. Sacramento, CA — 26
17. Milwaukee, WI — 23
17. Dayton, OH — 23
17. Fort Worth, TX — 23
18. Miami, FL — 21
18. Denver, CO — 21
18. Omaha, NE — 21
19. Buffalo, NY — 20
19. San Francisco, CA — 20
20. Long Beach, CA — 19
20. Tulsa, OK — 19
20. Portland, OR — 19
