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The first digit in a ZIP code represents a defined group of U.S. states. The second and third digits represent a region in that group, such as a large city. To send mail, only the first five digits of the ZIP code are required.

?the five-digit ZIP number is a structured code in which the first digit identifies one of ten large areas of the Nation, and the second digit indicates a State, a geographic portion of a heavily populated State, or two or more less populated States.

Initially, the zip code was only a two-digit number: the first denoted the city, the second denoted the state. But as the need for delivery expanded, so did the concept of the zip code. As of 1963, zip codes' numbers are determined by a few factors: the area, the regional postal facility and the local zone.

The Census Bureau offers a few statistical products by ZIP Code through our economic surveys. These data are available through data.census.gov. Please contact the US Postal Service for additional information about ZIP codes.

These last 4 digits represent specific delivery routes within delivery areas. This extra detail means an even more precise matching to a more granular level. It could represent a handful of houses on one side of a street, or even a single building that receives a high volume of mail.

ZIP codes are numbered with the first number representing a certain group of U.S. states. The second and third numbers represent a region in that group of states or, in some cases, a large city. The fourth and fifth numbers representing a group of delivery addresses within that region.

UnitedStatesZipCodes.org is the most comprehensive resource for United States zip code data.

Some ZIP codes are used only for PO boxes at a particular post office ? for example, the city of Greenbelt, MD is mostly in the 20770 ZIP code, but PO boxes at its post office all have 20768 ZIP codes. Other times ZIP codes are used to route mail to naval ships and to military bases overseas.

When looking at postal codes around the world, there are cases where two different cities are served by the same postal code. For example, the zip code 94608 in California is used for both Emeryville and parts of Oakland. One postal code, two cities.

The first digit is assigned to a broad geographical area of the United States, ranging from zero in the Northeast to nine in the West. The next two digits pinpoint population concentrations and sectional centers accessible to common transportation networks.