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Map with ZIP Codes (US ZCTA Boundaries)

Explore US ZIP code boundaries across any city or state. Enter any 5-digit ZIP code or click the map to view postal delivery envelopes, post office city names, and centroid coordinates.

By Marko Visic, Geospatial writer & editor·Updated October 30, 2026·Runs in your browser

Need to map a whole list of ZIP codes? Paste or upload them, with values if you like, in the ZIP Code Map Maker to get a color-coded heat map, PNG and CSV.

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Map with ZIP Codes (ZCTA)

Explore US ZIP Code boundaries across any city or state. Enter any 5-digit code or click the map to see the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area outline.

POPULAR ZIP CODES:

ZIP Code

90210

5-digit USPS postal code

Post Office / City

Beverly Hills, CA

USPS servicing municipality

ZCTA Centroid

34.0901°, -118.4065°

Geographic center

How to use the ZIP code map

1Find an area or ZIP code
Search a ZIP code or place, or pan the map.
2Show the ZIP code area
The ZIP code area (Census ZCTA) is drawn on the map.
3Read the ZIP details
See the place name and centroid coordinates for the ZIP code.

How a map with ZIP codes works

Viewing the boundaries of U.S. ZIP codes on an interactive map is one of the most powerful tools for marketing, territory design, and delivery planning. However, because the U.S. Postal Service does not define geographic boundaries—only delivery routes—cartographers rely on ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

ZCTAs are generalized areal representations of United States Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service routes. By aggregating census blocks along mail carrier routes, ZCTAs approximate polygonal borders that cover the vast majority of the American population.

What do the 5 digits of a ZIP code mean?

The 5-digit ZIP code format established in 1963 follows a geographic national distribution:

1st Digit (National Zone): Numbers run from East to West, beginning with 0 in New England and culminating in 9 along the Pacific Coast and Alaska/Hawaii.
2nd and 3rd Digits (Sectional Center Facility - SCF): Represents the regional processing and distribution center (e.g., 100xx for New York Manhattan, 902xx for Los Angeles South Bay).
4th and 5th Digits (Delivery Unit / Post Office): Designates the specific local post office station, neighborhood branch, or rural delivery zone.

Why some ZIP codes have no area on the map

Of the 41,000+ USPS ZIP codes, approximately 8,000 do not possess corresponding ZCTA polygon boundaries on any map. These “invisible” codes fall into three categories:

PO Box Only ZIPs

Assigned exclusively to physical post office box lobbies without associated home or business street delivery.

Single-Entity ZIPs

Dedicated to high-volume mail recipients such as universities, corporate headquarters, and state government agencies.

Military & Diplomatic

Overseas armed forces mail (APO/FPO/DPO) processed through gateways in New York, Miami, and San Francisco.

Example: reading a ZIP code digit by digit

Deconstructing the geographic hierarchy of a sample five-digit ZIP code:

GOVERNING MATHEMATICAL EQUATION\text{ZIP} = [Z_1][Z_2 Z_3][Z_4 Z_5] \implies \text{Zone} \to \text{SCF} \to \text{Delivery Unit}

VARIABLE DEFINITIONS & CONSTANTS

Z₁:First digit: Geographic region (9 = West Coast / CA, OR, WA, AK, HI)

Z₂Z₃:Central digits: Sectional Center Facility (02 = Los Angeles Metro West)

Z₄Z₅:Final digits: Local delivery station (10 = Beverly Hills Main Station)

WORKED BENCHMARK: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA (ZIP 90210)

Full 5-Digit Identifier = 90210National Zone (Z₁) = 9 (Pacific West)Sectional Facility (Z₁-Z₃) = 902 (Inglewood / West Los Angeles SCF)Station Index (Z₄-Z₅) = 10 (Beverly Hills Post Office)

Step 1: Parse top-level zone: 9 -> Western United States
Step 2: Parse sectional sorting hub: 902 -> USPS Los Angeles County processing center
Step 3: Parse neighborhood carrier routes: 10 -> Municipal postal carrier routes for Beverly Hills
Step 4: Resolve to Census ZCTA boundary: ZCTA 90210 contains 10.2 sq miles and ~34,000 residents

Computed Result:Full Hierarchical Resolution: Region 9 → SCF 902 → Station 10

Mail sorting machines route letters down this tree in milliseconds, from cross-country transport down to individual mail carrier satchels.

ZIP code first digits by region (0–9)

Overview of the 10 primary national postal zones across the United States:

U.S. Postal Service National Zone Distribution

Reference data verified against USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 100).

Prefix (Z₁)	Geographic Region	States & Territories Covered	Major Sorting Hubs
0xxxx	New England & Northeast	ME, MA, NH, NJ, RI, VT, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands	Boston, Newark, San Juan
1xxxx	Mid-Atlantic & New York	DE, NY, PA	New York City, Philadelphia
2xxxx	Capital & Atlantic South	DC, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV	Washington D.C., Charlotte, Richmond
3xxxx	Southeast	AL, FL, GA, MS, TN	Atlanta, Miami, Nashville
4xxxx	Great Lakes & Midwest	IN, KY, MI, OH	Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis
5xxxx	Northern Plains	IA, MN, MT, ND, SD, WI	Minneapolis, Des Moines, Milwaukee
6xxxx	Central Plains & Midwest	IL, KS, MO, NE	Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City
7xxxx	South Central & Gulf Coast	AR, LA, OK, TX	Dallas, Houston, New Orleans
8xxxx	Mountain West	AZ, CO, ID, NM, NV, UT, WY	Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City
9xxxx	Pacific West Coast	AK, CA, HI, OR, WA, Guam, American Samoa	Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle

How accurate are ZIP code boundaries on a map?

Before utilizing ZIP code polygon maps for commercial or operational purposes, understand these constraints:

Important Postal Mapping Limitations

Where the Outline Comes From: The tool asks the Census Bureau's TIGERweb map service for the ZCTA polygon of the ZIP code you search. If that service has no polygon or is unavailable, it falls back to an OpenStreetMap postal boundary, which may be rougher or missing. Either way the outline is an approximation of the delivery area.
Frequent Boundary Evolution: The USPS reconfigures carrier routes continuously to balance deliverability workloads, meaning boundaries shift between decennial census updates.
Enclaves & Discontinuous Islands: In rural areas, a single carrier route can serve disconnected pockets of homes separated by public land or other ZIP codes.
Municipal Misalignment: Never assume a ZIP code corresponds to municipal city limits. A single ZIP code can contain portions of multiple towns and counties.

Quick facts about the ZIP code map

Fact	Value	Notes
Boundary Standard	US Census Bureau ZCTA	Generalized postal service areas
Total ZIP Codes	~41,700 Active Codes	Includes PO Boxes and military codes
Resolution	1:10,000,000 generalized	High-accuracy cartographic vectors

PRECISION & EXCEPTIONS

Edge cases and exceptions

Non-Geographic ZIP Codes

Certain military (APO/FPO) and government ZIP codes do not have a physical land boundary and are mapped to postal distribution centroids.

FIELD APPLICATIONS

The ZIP code map: worked examples

Franchise Territory Mapping

Scenario: Visualizing territory coverage for Beverly Hills ZIP code 90210.

Outcome: Draws the precise boundary polygon of 90210, showing intersections with adjacent West Hollywood ZIPs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions about the ZIP code map

What is a ZCTA?

A ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) is a generalized areal representation developed by the US Census Bureau to map USPS mail routes into statistical polygons.

Are the ZIP boundaries official?

No. They are Census ZCTAs, approximations of USPS delivery areas.

How do I find which ZIP code is next to mine?

Pan the map and click adjacent areas to see their ZIP code.

Why are some ZIP codes missing from the map?

Point-based ZIP codes for single buildings or PO boxes have no area.

Can I see ZIP codes by state?

Zoom to any state; ZIP codes are labeled where space allows.

Do ZIP codes align with city limits?

Often not. A ZIP can cover parts of several cities.

How do I find all ZIP codes in a county?

Use the county map and ZIP overlay together, or the radius tool.

What are ZIP code areas used for?

Mail, marketing, delivery pricing, demographic statistics and sales territories.

How current is the ZIP data?

It is based on Census ZCTA files, which update periodically and may lag the USPS.

Can I get a centroid?

Yes. Click a ZIP code to see its centroid coordinates.

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