USA ZIP Code / Postal Code List United States Post Code

US ZIP codes are a type of postal code used within the United States to help the United States Postal Service (USPS) route mail more efficiently. ZIP codes near me are shown on the map above.

Some still refer to ZIP codes as US postal codes. The term ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The basic 5-digit format was first introduced in 1963 and later extended to add an additional 4 digits after a dash to form a ZIP + 4 code.

The additional 4 digits help USPS more precisely group mail for delivery. Though ZIP codes were originally developed for USPS, many other shipping companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), DHL, and others make use of ZIP codes for sorting packages and calculating the time and cost of shipping a package (the shipping rate).

You can check your own ZIP code of the current location with the help of AZIPCode's ZIP code finder within 1 minute. Also, you can check any location's ZIP or postal codes easily with manual search given by AZipCode.com.

Types of Zip Codes

• Unique / single high volume address (ex. 20505 for the CIA in Washington, DC)
• PO Box only (ex. 22313 for the PO Boxes of Alexandria, VA)
• Military
• Standard (all other ZIP codes)

Assignment of ZIP codes and Mail Sorting

The first digit of a USA ZIP code generally represents a group of US states. The map of the first digit of zip codes above shows they are assigned in order from the northeast to the west coast.

The first 3 digits of a ZIP code determine the central mail processing facility, also called sectional center facility or “sec center”, that is used to process and sort mail.

All mail with the same first 3 digits is first delivered to the same sec center where it is sorted according to the last 2 digits and distributed to local post offices. The sec centers are not open to the public and usually do most sorting overnight. As you can see from the map of the first 3 digits of zip codes, the digits after the first are also generally assigned from east to west.

In the map, 0 is closer to white, and 9 is much more vivid. It's easy to follow the gradient across each of the zones even though there are a few exceptions (such as the southwest tip of Georgia which uses 39XXX like central Mississippi).

The ZIP + 4 code is not required, but it aids the post office in additional sorting of mail. A ZIP + 4 code may corresponds to a city block, group of apartments or an individual high-volume receiver. It is also common for each PO Box number to correspond to a unique ZIP + 4 code.

Sometimes, several PO Box numbers are grouped into the same ZIP + 4 code by using the last several digits of the PO Box number. This method isn't a universal rule though so the ZIP + 4 must still be looked up for each PO Box.

Places in the US so Remote, They Don't Have a ZIP As you can see from the map, not everywhere in the US is assigned a ZIP code. Remote and especially rural areas of the country do not have enough deliverable addresses to create a mail route.

Without mail delivery, a ZIP is not needed. If you are looking to get off the grid, these areas are some of the most remote places within the country.

USA ZIP Code Boundaries

Despite the fact that ZIP codes seem to be geographic in nature, that wasn't their intended purpose. They are intended to group mail to allow the USPS to deliver mail more efficiently.

Some ZIP codes will span multiple states in order to make mail routing and delivery more efficient.

In most cases, addresses in close proximity to each other are grouped in the same ZIP code which gives the appearance that ZIP codes are defined by a clear geographic boundary. However, some ZIP codes have nothing to do with geographic areas. For instance, a single ZIP code is used for all US Navy mail.

When ZIP codes appear to be geographically grouped, a clear shape cannot always be drawn around the ZIP code because ZIP codes are only assigned to a point of delivery and not the spaces between delivery points.

In areas without a regular postal route or no mail delivery, ZIP codes may not be defined or have unclear boundaries.