United States ZIP code system

E639434

The United States ZIP code system is a nationwide postal coding scheme used by the U.S. Postal Service to efficiently sort and deliver mail by assigning numeric codes to geographic areas.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
ZIP+4 Codes 1

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf postal code system
abbreviation ZIP
administeredBy USPS Address Management System NERFINISHED
codeRange 00001–99950
codeType numeric
country United States of America
surface form: United States
doesNotAlwaysAlignWith city boundaries
county boundaries
state boundaries
extendedCodeLength 9 digits
extendedFormatName ZIP+4 NERFINISHED
firstDigitMeaning broad geographic region
firstThreeDigitsMeaning sectional center facility area
fullName Zone Improvement Plan NERFINISHED
geographicCoverage 50 U.S. states
District of Columbia NERFINISHED
U.S. military mail system
U.S. territories NERFINISHED
freely associated states
hasComponent delivery segment code
postal zone code
sectional center facility code
implementationStartDate 1963-07-01
introducedBy United States Postal Service NERFINISHED
introducedInYear 1963
lastTwoDigitsMeaning local post office or delivery area
mandatoryUseStartYear 1967
operator United States Postal Service NERFINISHED
plus4Meaning specific segment such as block, building, or high-volume receiver
primaryPurpose mail delivery routing
mail sorting
relatedSystem PO Box-only ZIP codes
ZIP+4
military ZIP codes
unique ZIP codes
specialAllocation federal government agencies
large-volume mail recipients
military APO/FPO/DPO addresses
post office boxes
standardCodeLength 5 digits
standardizedBy USPS Publication 28 NERFINISHED
usedFor address validation
automated mail processing
bulk mail discounts
demographic analysis
market segmentation
service area definition

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

USPS Address Management System manages United States ZIP code system
this entity surface form: ZIP+4 Codes
Silver City, Iowa postalCodeRegion United States ZIP code system