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{{Short description|Numeric postal code used in the US and its territories}}
{{other uses|Zip code (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
[[File:USA-Stamp-1973-ZIPCode.jpg|thumb|A 1974 postage stamp encouraging people to use the ZIP Code on letters and parcels]]
Introduced on July 1, 1963, the basic format
Private carriers and the USPS use ZIP Codes to route deliveries. In addition, ZIP Codes have become a basis for breaking down demographic, marketing, and sales data for analytical purposes.
== History ==
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[[File:Stamps USA, Markenheft IMG 1699.JPG|thumb|A [[Label (philately)|label]] inside a [[Postage stamp booklet|stamp booklet]] promoting the ZIP Code]]
[[File:Swinging Six Zip Code 1967.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=14:38|right|320px|A Swingin' Six video used by the post office to promote the ZIP Code]]
The early history and context of postal codes began with [[Postal code#History|postal district/zone numbers]]. The [[United States Post Office Department]] (USPOD) implemented postal zones for
For example:
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=== Establishment ===
By the early 1960s, a more organized system was needed
been found to be the most universally acceptable line capacity basis for major addressing systems",<ref name=USPS/> which would be exceeded by a long city name combined with a multi-letter state abbreviation, such as "Sacramento, Calif." along with the ZIP Code. The abbreviations have remained unchanged, [[Robert Moon (postal inspector)|Robert Moon]] is considered the father of the ZIP Code; he submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a [[United States Postal Inspection Service|postal inspector]].<ref>Bullamore, Tim (2001). Robert Moon Obituary. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/robert-moon-729034.html {{dead link|date=December 2019}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/robert-moon-an-inventor-of-the-zip-code-dies-at-83.html | title = Robert Moon, an Inventor of the ZIP Code, Dies at 83 | first = Douglas | last = Martin | date = 2001-04-14 | newspaper = [[New York Times]] | access-date = 2017-09-23 | archive-date = February 17, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200217102920/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/robert-moon-an-inventor-of-the-zip-code-dies-at-83.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
The phrase "zone improvement plan" is credited to [[D. Jamison Cain]], a Postal Service executive.<ref name="cain">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-resident-pushed-the-envelope-when-zip-code-was-born-in-1963/2018/09/29/38376e7a-c28c-11e8-97a5-ab1e46bb3bc7_story.html |title=Virginia resident pushed the envelope when Zip code was born in 1963 |date=2018-09-29 |last=Kelly |first=John |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2022-08-13 |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010205600/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-resident-pushed-the-envelope-when-zip-code-was-born-in-1963/2018/09/29/38376e7a-c28c-11e8-97a5-ab1e46bb3bc7_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The post office credits Moon with only the first three digits of the ZIP Code, which describe the [[sectional center facility]] (SCF) or "sec center". An SCF is a central mail processing facility with those three digits. The fourth and fifth digits, which give a more precise locale within the SCF, were proposed by Henry Bentley Hahn Sr.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archiveblog.jfklibrary.org/2015/05/papers-of-h-bentley-hahn-the-man-who-invented-the-zip-code/|title=Papers of H. Bentley Hahn: The Man Who Invented the 5-Digit ZIP Code
The SCF sorts mail to all post offices with those first three digits in their ZIP Codes. The mail is sorted according to the final two digits of the ZIP Code and sent to the corresponding post offices in the early morning. Sectional centers do not deliver mail and are not open to the public, although the building may include a post office that is open to the public, and most of their employees work the [[shift work|night shift]]. Items of mail picked up at post offices are sent to their
For example:
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===ZIP+4===
In 1983, the U.S. Postal Service introduced an expanded
Commercial customers generally apply a ZIP+4 or a delivery point code (i.e., ZIP+6) to mail as part of address normalization. They may need to do so to receive discounted postage rates.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=11 July 2013 |title=New Standards to Enhance Package Visibility |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2013-07-11/pdf/2013-16524.pdf |journal=[[Federal Register]] |volume=78 |issue=133 |pages=41721-41731}}</ref> The public does not need to write the ZIP+4 code, as mail is read by a [[Multiline Optical Character Reader|multiline optical character reader]] (MLOCR) that almost instantly determines the correct ZIP+4 Code from the address—along with the even more specific [[delivery point]]—and sprays an [[Intelligent Mail barcode]] (IMb) on the face of the mail piece that corresponds to 11 digits—nine for the ZIP+4 Code and two for the delivery point.
For [[post office box]]es, the general but not invariable rule is that each box has its own ZIP+4 Code. The add-on code is often one of the following: the last four digits of the box number (e.g. PO Box 107050, Albany, NY 12201-7050), zero plus the last three digits of the box number (e.g., PO Box 17727, Eagle River, AK 99577-0727), or, if the box number consists of fewer than four digits, enough zeros are attached to the front of the box number to produce a four-digit number (e.g., PO Box 77, Juneau, AK 99750-0077). However, there is no uniform rule, so the ZIP+4 Code must be looked up individually for each box (e.g. using the USPS's official ZIP Code Lookup tool, and being sure to enter just city and state, not the 5-digit ZIP).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input |title=ZIP Code™ Lookup {{!}} USPS |website=tools.usps.com |access-date=2020-01-23 |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222044440/https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input |url-status=live }}</ref>▼
▲For [[post office box]]es, the general but not invariable rule is that each box has its own
===Postal bar code===▼
{{main|Intelligent Mail barcode}}
The
Customers who send bulk mail can get a [[Discounts and allowances|discount]] on postage if they have printed the barcode
The assignment of delivery point digits (the 10th and 11th digits)
==Structure and allocation==
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===Types===
There are four types of
* Unique: assigned to a single high-volume address
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* Standard: all other ZIP Codes.
Unique
An example of a PO box-only
===Geographic hierarchy===
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[[File:ZIP Code zones.svg|thumb|ZIP Code zones in the United States]]
ZIP Codes are numbered with the first digit representing a certain group of U.S. states, the second and third digits together representing a [[region]] in that group (or perhaps a large city), and the fourth and fifth digits representing a group of delivery addresses within that region. The main town in a region (if applicable) often gets the first
Many of the lowest
The numbers increase southward along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], such as 02115 ([[Boston]]), 10001 ([[New York City]]), 19103 ([[Philadelphia]]), 21201 ([[Baltimore]]), 20008 ([[Washington, D.C.]]), 30303 ([[Atlanta]]), and 33130 (Miami) (these are only examples, as each of these cities contains several
The first digit of the
* 0 = [[Connecticut]] (CT), [[Massachusetts]] (MA), [[Maine]] (ME), [[New Hampshire]] (NH), [[New Jersey]] (NJ), [[New York (state)|New York]] (NY, [[Fishers Island, New York|Fishers Island only]]), [[Puerto Rico]] (PR), [[Rhode Island]] (RI), [[Vermont]] (VT), [[Virgin Islands]] (VI), Army Post Office Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East (APO AE); Fleet Post Office Europe and the Middle East (FPO AE)
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[[File:10005 zip code.jpg|thumb|Early advertisement for ZIP Code 10005]]
The second and third digits represent the [[sectional center facility]] (SCF) (e.g., 477xx = [[Vanderburgh County, Indiana]])
In some urban areas, like 462 for [[Marion County, Indiana]], the three-digit prefix will often exist in one county, while, in rural and most suburban areas, the prefix will exist in multiple counties; for example, the neighboring 476 prefix is found in part or entirely in six counties: Gibson, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick. In some cases, an urban county may have more than one prefix. This is the case with Allen (467, 468), Lake (464, 463), St. Joseph (465, 466), and Vanderburgh (476, 477) counties. Cities like [[Chicago]], [[Houston]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[New York City]] have multiple prefixes within their city limits. In some cases, these may be served from the same SCF, such as in [[San Diego County, California]], where the three-digit prefixes 919 and 920 are used for suburban and rural communities, and 921 for the city of San Diego itself, although all three are processed through the same SCF.{{citation needed|date=December 2007}}
Despite the geographic derivation of most
==== International mail ====
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</blockquote>
Individuals posted at diplomatic missions overseas are now assigned a Diplomatic Post Office address and a unique box number. The
<blockquote>
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=== Division and reallocation ===
Like [[Telephone numbering plan|area code]]s,
On the other hand, [[depopulation]] may cause a post office to close and its associated ZIP Code to be deallocated. For example, [[Centralia, Pennsylvania]]'s ZIP Code, 17927, was retired in 2002,<ref>{{cite news |first=Rob |last=Wheary |url=http://www.centraliapa.com/news.htm |title=Centralia loses its ZIP |access-date=2010-05-02 |archive-date=2012-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324201418/http://www.centraliapa.com/news.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ZIP Codes for [[Onoville, New York|Onoville]] (14764), [[Elko, New York|Quaker Bridge]] (14771) and [[Red House, New York|Red House]] (14773) in New York were prevented from going into use in 1964 in preparation for the [[Kinzua Dam]]'s completion.<ref name=postofficesclose>{{cite news|title=Post Offices to Close|newspaper=The Bradford Era|date=April 22, 1964}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Final Check-Out|newspaper=Salamanca Republican-Press|date=July 1, 1964}}</ref>
== Relationship with local government boundaries ==
Each ZIP Code has one or more "postal city" names assigned to it.
== Other uses ==
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=== Statistics ===
{{As of|October 2019}}, there are 41,702 ZIP Codes in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greatdata.com/product/zip-code-database|title=ZIP Codes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019150049/https://greatdata.com/product/zip-code-database|archive-date=19 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Due to convenience, ZIP Codes are used not only for tracking of mail, but also commonly for gathering geographical statistics in the United States by some researchers.<ref name="Grubesic1">{{cite journal |last1=Grubesic |first1=Tony H |last2=Matisziw |first2=Timothy C |title=On the use of ZIP codes and ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) for the spatial analysis of epidemiological data |journal=International Journal of Health Geographics |date=2006 |volume=58 |issue=5 |page=58 |doi=10.1186/1476-072X-5-58|doi-access=free |pmid=17166283 |pmc=1762013 }}</ref><ref name="Chen1">{{cite journal |last1=Xiang |first1=Chen |last2=Ye |first2=Xinyue |last3=Widener |first3=Michael J. |last4=Delmelle |first4=Eric |last5=Kwan |first5=Mei-Po |last6=Shannon |first6=Jerry |last7=Racine |first7=Elizabeth F. |last8=Adams |first8=Aaron |last9=Liang |first9=Lu |last10=Jia |first10=Peng |title=A systematic review of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) in community food environmental research |journal=Urban Informatics |date=27 December 2022 |volume=22 |issue=1 |doi=10.1007/s44212-022-00021-1|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022UrbIn...1...22C }}</ref>
In an attempt to satisfy demand "
=== Marketing ===
The data is often used in [[Advertising mail|direct mail marketing]] campaigns in
California outlawed this practice in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news | title=California high court: Retailers can not request cardholders' ZIP Code | url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/10/california.credit.zip.code/index.html | last=Botelho | first=Greg | publisher=CNN | date=February 10, 2011 | access-date=February 11, 2011 | archive-date=November 10, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110023619/http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/10/california.credit.zip.code/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Legislative districts ===
ZIP Codes may not currently be used to identify existing legislative districts. Although the website of the [[United States House of Representatives]] has a "Find Your Representative" feature that looks up congressional districts based on
=== Internet ===
A 1978 proposal for a nationwide system of community networks suggested using ZIP Codes for [[routing]].<ref name="wilber197802">{{Cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1978-02/1978_02_BYTE_03-02_Hardware_Projects#page/n15/mode/2up | title=CIE Net: A Design for a Network of Community Information Exchanges | work=BYTE | date=February 1978 | access-date=17 October 2013 | author=Wilber, Mike | page=12}}</ref>
ZIP Code data is an integral part of dealer / [[Online locator service|store locator]] software on many [[website]]s, especially [[Bricks and clicks|brick-and-click]] websites. This software processes a user-input ZIP Code and returns a list of store or business locations, usually in the order of increasing distance from the center of the input ZIP Code. As the ZIP Code system is confined to the U.S. Postal network, websites that require ZIP Codes cannot register customers outside the United States. Many sites will purchase postal code data of other countries or make allowances in cases where the ZIP Code is not recognized.{{
ZIP Codes are regularly used on the Internet to provide a ___location
=== Credit card security ===
{{Main|Address Verification System}}
ZIP Codes are used in credit card authorization, specifically [[Address Verification System]] (AVS). When a merchant collects the entire address, the ZIP Code is an important part of AVS. In some cases, the ZIP Code is the only thing used for AVS, specifically where collecting a signature
== See also ==
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[[Category:1963 introductions]]
[[Category:Philatelic terminology]]
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