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The five-digit code which initially specified an area or a part of a town was no longer accurate or efficient enough. So, USPS created 9-digit ZIP Codes to ensure fast and accurate mailings. They indicate the actual path the mail should travel and usually they narrow down to somewhere between ten to twenty homes.

This is because ZIP code boundaries are based on mail routes and delivery points rather than geographic factors. The U.S. Post Office Department, predecessor to USPS, developed a zoning address system in 1943 as a way to make sorting and delivery of mail easier.

A United States postal code, for example, might be either five digits or five digits followed a hyphen (dash) and another four digits (12345-1234).

Frequency of ZIP Code Changes It is typical for 10-20 new ZIP codes to be created each year - many of which are for military uses.

Thus there are 1,000,000,000 different ZIP codes. (b) There are 10 possible digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. A ZIP code is a number consisting of 9 digits.

ZIP & ZIP+4 United States ZIP codes are five numerical digits long. ZIP+4 codes, also known as add-on or plus-four codes, include four additional digits that identify a geographic segment within a ZIP code delivery area. The first digit in a ZIP code represents a defined group of U.S. states.

Full 9 Digit ZIP Code Benefits (ZIP+4 Lookup) Faster Shipping - Each ZIP+4 Code represents segments of delivery routes that are usually within a single block of the desired delivery point. That simple 9-digit number makes routing more efficient since the USPS knows which mail person will put the letter in the mailbox.

Because ZIP+4 codes are based on delivery routes, they change when the postal delivery routes are updated by the USPS. That's why ZIP+4 codes can change as often as once a month, since there are several factors that can result in the USPS updating its delivery routes.