Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Jack (stampmanjack)
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Sitting here at work, with nothing better to do (not "nothing to do" just nothing "better" to do 
) I thought I would look up the answer. According to answers.com:
The highest ZIP code is 99950, belonging to Ketchikan, Alaska, and the lowest is 00501 in Holtsville, New York.
Read more: where-are-the-highest-and-lowest-zip-codes-in-the-united-states
There are over 42,000 ZIP codes in the US.
Cheers,
Tedski
(Modified by Moderator on 2013-06-02 07:04:24)
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The 00501 zip code is for an IRS Service Center (along with 00544). I doubt any mail would receive this zip on the post mark. All other 00xxx zips are for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The zip code for Ketchikan is 99901. The 99950 is for some PO boxes in one of the boroughs. Again, I doubt that this zip would be used.
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Thanks for the info. Why do you or anyone suppose the numbers above and below those were not used. Evidently since there are 99999 possibilities and only 52,000 used, other numbers were skipped also. Were tose numbers for expansion of the system as the country grew?.
Jack
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I thought American Samoa and Guam had higher ZIP Codes. I don't recall, however.
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Guam has zip codes 96910-96932, American Samoa has 96799, Micronesia have 96941-96944.
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Thanks!
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"Thanks for the info. Why do you or anyone suppose the numbers above and below those were not used. Evidently since there are 99999 possibilities and only 52,000 used, other numbers were skipped also. Were tose numbers for expansion of the system as the country grew?.
Jack"
Jack, ZIP codes are used to designate a destination for delivering mail. Since some destinations, such as PO boxes, have ZIPs that are different from those of the post office in which they are located, you would never see a postmark with those ZIPs.
Also, the 5 digits in the ZIP codes are broken down into 3 sets of digits: the 1st digit represents a zone of states, with 0 being the northeast, and going westward to zone 9. The next 2 digits represent areas within that zone, and the last 2 digits to neighborhoods within those areas.
A particular zone may not have 100 areas (#s 00-99) designated, and a particular area may not be broken up into 100 neighborhoods. Thus, there will be many gaps in the numbering. And yes, that allows for expansion as certain areas grow. In fact, just a day or two ago I was reading where Arizona is getting a new ZIP code. Let me see if I can find a link.
Here's one: New ZIP Code Article
Cheers,
Tedski
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I was noticing the other day while trying to route a delivery into Columbia that they don't use postal or zip codes they use districts. Even in other LATAM countries postal codes are more often then not provided.
Also many island countries don't use postal codes either probably because they are so small. In fact often they don't have street numbers. I get an address like Mr. Sammy Jones Island Dr. 3rd Green House on the left with a garage.
So is the +4 for the US cities with more than 100 neigborhoods?
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no, ZIP+4 is universal within the states
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"So is the +4 for the US cities with more than 100 neighborhoods? "
+4 was developed to break down the neighborhood areas further, for sorting mail within a post office for delivery routes. I had once asked a postal clerk what the +4 designates and she told me each 4 digit suffix identifies a particular address. Some time later, when I spoke to another clerk about +4, I was told, no, each +4 suffix relates to one side of the street or the other, to aid in sorting the mail for ease of delivery. I don't know; can each PO have their own particular system for utilizing +4?
I've also read where a large company that receives large volumes of mail can have its own unique +4 (sort of like the joke, "Yo mama's so big, she got her own ZIP code.
)The USPS's intention was to make ZIP+4 the standard (mandatory) ZIP code. But there was so much negative reaction to the idea that they just left it as an option.
Tedski
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i'm sorry, i meant that the USPS uses it universally, but, you are right, it doesn't mandate it for addresses. Most people have no idea they even have one, much less what it is.
I believe that things are further segregated by carrier routes, making it a 14-digit system, but i'm a little vague here.
In Manhattan, we have buildings, because of their population density, with their own ZIPs. They are part of the 102xx series
David
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The numbers that go beyond the ZIP+4 are actual addresses of specific companies or government entities. You don't want to use more than ZIP+4. The post office doesn't like it being used by other than those companies/entities.
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Thanks for all of the information. I probably now know more about zip codes than I want to or need to but it is interesting.
I've noticed that no matter what the question someone in this club knows the answer and generally fairly quickly. Several times I have known the answer to a question but by the time I got ready to post someone had already answered the question. If you want to respond to a question, you have to be knowledgeable and fast.
Thanks
Jack
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Knowing the lowest and highest 5-digit zip codes helps, but anybody know how many 5-digit codes have actually been assigned? There are a lot less than the possible size of 99,999 (actually 100,000 if you include 00000).
That's because the leftmost digit specifies an are (ten, numbered 0 to 9), the next two digits, allow that area to be reduced to districts, and the last two digits bread up those districts into sectors that get you right down into neighborhoods. The added four digits (ZIP+4) means you can break down those neighborhoods and get right down to streets, even the specific house on the streets.
That's usually overkill, since the postman knows the street names and can even describe the house sitting at a certain number on that street. So why should he memorize four added digits and relate it to a specific place where he/she is going to deliver the mail when the whole address is on the envelope already?
So, in densly populated areas like big cities, you might need four added digits in order for the post office to get the mail in the right delivery hands, but certainly are not needed in wide open areas where people are few and far between.
Incidently, I found this at a FAQ page about Zip codes: "There are approximately 43,000 ZIP Codes in the United States. This number fluctuates from month to month, depending on the number of changes made."
This probably speaks to all ZIP (5-digit) and ZIP+4 (9-digit) code taken together. The fact that it changed monthly must relate to new construction going on, not to new areas being covered, so most monthly canges have to be with the 4 added digits being added to or locally shifted to match up with local building effects.
Another site had this to say: "The ZIP code database contains 43191 ZIP codes for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa". A poster on that site said this: "The census bureau has 33,233 zip codes listed". Again, I'm just interested in 5-digit, although with that few, you could lump 5-digit and 9-digit together in a database with just a 16-bit wide (word sized) integer which can count up to 65,535 maximum. So, just two bytes of memory can be a reference to where almost anyone can be found in terms of their locality.
So, back to the question in hand, in case there is more info out there: Any easy way to come up with a tally (a count, not a list) of assigned 5-digit zip codes for the US?
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The Census Bureau lists zipcode by "Tabluation Areas". That is, so many square miles around a specific longitude/latitude; if you are within the designated area, then this is the zipcode to which you belong. The 2014 Census list enumerates 33,144 zipcodes for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. However, the Census does not include zipcodes for the Island Areas (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Also not found would be all of the military APO/FPO zipcodes, or individual business assigned zipcodes. A download of the Census list can be found at:
http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2014.html
The most recent data list of Federal Government zipcodes (Jan 2012) that I could find for free download contains 42,522 zipcodes. You can find it at:
http://federalgovernmentzipcodes.us/
There are more recent data lists available from companies that compile this information on a regular basis, but they charge for their lists (and the data is changing often).
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-05-27 16:21:15)
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01:48:11am
I was sitting here at 1:00 a.m. with obviously nothing better to do and wondering what are the highest and lowest zip codes in use. Is there a place with 00001 or 99999? Would it be theoretically possible to get a cover from every 5 digit zip code? Amount of 99999 would probably be prohibitive in actuality. I would guess to that a lot of mail from small zip codes is processed at larger facilities so the zip might not exist in cancels.
Jack (stampmanjack)
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re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Sitting here at work, with nothing better to do (not "nothing to do" just nothing "better" to do ) I thought I would look up the answer. According to answers.com:
The highest ZIP code is 99950, belonging to Ketchikan, Alaska, and the lowest is 00501 in Holtsville, New York.
Read more: where-are-the-highest-and-lowest-zip-codes-in-the-united-states
There are over 42,000 ZIP codes in the US.
Cheers,
Tedski
(Modified by Moderator on 2013-06-02 07:04:24)
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re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
The 00501 zip code is for an IRS Service Center (along with 00544). I doubt any mail would receive this zip on the post mark. All other 00xxx zips are for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The zip code for Ketchikan is 99901. The 99950 is for some PO boxes in one of the boroughs. Again, I doubt that this zip would be used.
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09:36:13pm
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Thanks for the info. Why do you or anyone suppose the numbers above and below those were not used. Evidently since there are 99999 possibilities and only 52,000 used, other numbers were skipped also. Were tose numbers for expansion of the system as the country grew?.
Jack
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12:57:54am
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
I thought American Samoa and Guam had higher ZIP Codes. I don't recall, however.
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Approvals
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Guam has zip codes 96910-96932, American Samoa has 96799, Micronesia have 96941-96944.
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11:56:55am
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Thanks!
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re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
"Thanks for the info. Why do you or anyone suppose the numbers above and below those were not used. Evidently since there are 99999 possibilities and only 52,000 used, other numbers were skipped also. Were tose numbers for expansion of the system as the country grew?.
Jack"
Jack, ZIP codes are used to designate a destination for delivering mail. Since some destinations, such as PO boxes, have ZIPs that are different from those of the post office in which they are located, you would never see a postmark with those ZIPs.
Also, the 5 digits in the ZIP codes are broken down into 3 sets of digits: the 1st digit represents a zone of states, with 0 being the northeast, and going westward to zone 9. The next 2 digits represent areas within that zone, and the last 2 digits to neighborhoods within those areas.
A particular zone may not have 100 areas (#s 00-99) designated, and a particular area may not be broken up into 100 neighborhoods. Thus, there will be many gaps in the numbering. And yes, that allows for expansion as certain areas grow. In fact, just a day or two ago I was reading where Arizona is getting a new ZIP code. Let me see if I can find a link.
Here's one: New ZIP Code Article
Cheers,
Tedski
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this post
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
I was noticing the other day while trying to route a delivery into Columbia that they don't use postal or zip codes they use districts. Even in other LATAM countries postal codes are more often then not provided.
Also many island countries don't use postal codes either probably because they are so small. In fact often they don't have street numbers. I get an address like Mr. Sammy Jones Island Dr. 3rd Green House on the left with a garage.
So is the +4 for the US cities with more than 100 neigborhoods?
Login to Like
this post
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
no, ZIP+4 is universal within the states
Login to Like
this post
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
"So is the +4 for the US cities with more than 100 neighborhoods? "
+4 was developed to break down the neighborhood areas further, for sorting mail within a post office for delivery routes. I had once asked a postal clerk what the +4 designates and she told me each 4 digit suffix identifies a particular address. Some time later, when I spoke to another clerk about +4, I was told, no, each +4 suffix relates to one side of the street or the other, to aid in sorting the mail for ease of delivery. I don't know; can each PO have their own particular system for utilizing +4?
I've also read where a large company that receives large volumes of mail can have its own unique +4 (sort of like the joke, "Yo mama's so big, she got her own ZIP code.
)The USPS's intention was to make ZIP+4 the standard (mandatory) ZIP code. But there was so much negative reaction to the idea that they just left it as an option.
Tedski
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re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
i'm sorry, i meant that the USPS uses it universally, but, you are right, it doesn't mandate it for addresses. Most people have no idea they even have one, much less what it is.
I believe that things are further segregated by carrier routes, making it a 14-digit system, but i'm a little vague here.
In Manhattan, we have buildings, because of their population density, with their own ZIPs. They are part of the 102xx series
David
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12:20:50pm
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
The numbers that go beyond the ZIP+4 are actual addresses of specific companies or government entities. You don't want to use more than ZIP+4. The post office doesn't like it being used by other than those companies/entities.
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06:00:28pm
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Thanks for all of the information. I probably now know more about zip codes than I want to or need to but it is interesting.
I've noticed that no matter what the question someone in this club knows the answer and generally fairly quickly. Several times I have known the answer to a question but by the time I got ready to post someone had already answered the question. If you want to respond to a question, you have to be knowledgeable and fast.
Thanks
Jack
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11:46:07am
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
Knowing the lowest and highest 5-digit zip codes helps, but anybody know how many 5-digit codes have actually been assigned? There are a lot less than the possible size of 99,999 (actually 100,000 if you include 00000).
That's because the leftmost digit specifies an are (ten, numbered 0 to 9), the next two digits, allow that area to be reduced to districts, and the last two digits bread up those districts into sectors that get you right down into neighborhoods. The added four digits (ZIP+4) means you can break down those neighborhoods and get right down to streets, even the specific house on the streets.
That's usually overkill, since the postman knows the street names and can even describe the house sitting at a certain number on that street. So why should he memorize four added digits and relate it to a specific place where he/she is going to deliver the mail when the whole address is on the envelope already?
So, in densly populated areas like big cities, you might need four added digits in order for the post office to get the mail in the right delivery hands, but certainly are not needed in wide open areas where people are few and far between.
Incidently, I found this at a FAQ page about Zip codes: "There are approximately 43,000 ZIP Codes in the United States. This number fluctuates from month to month, depending on the number of changes made."
This probably speaks to all ZIP (5-digit) and ZIP+4 (9-digit) code taken together. The fact that it changed monthly must relate to new construction going on, not to new areas being covered, so most monthly canges have to be with the 4 added digits being added to or locally shifted to match up with local building effects.
Another site had this to say: "The ZIP code database contains 43191 ZIP codes for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa". A poster on that site said this: "The census bureau has 33,233 zip codes listed". Again, I'm just interested in 5-digit, although with that few, you could lump 5-digit and 9-digit together in a database with just a 16-bit wide (word sized) integer which can count up to 65,535 maximum. So, just two bytes of memory can be a reference to where almost anyone can be found in terms of their locality.
So, back to the question in hand, in case there is more info out there: Any easy way to come up with a tally (a count, not a list) of assigned 5-digit zip codes for the US?
Login to Like
this post
re: Zip Codes highest and lowest in use
The Census Bureau lists zipcode by "Tabluation Areas". That is, so many square miles around a specific longitude/latitude; if you are within the designated area, then this is the zipcode to which you belong. The 2014 Census list enumerates 33,144 zipcodes for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. However, the Census does not include zipcodes for the Island Areas (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Also not found would be all of the military APO/FPO zipcodes, or individual business assigned zipcodes. A download of the Census list can be found at:
http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2014.html
The most recent data list of Federal Government zipcodes (Jan 2012) that I could find for free download contains 42,522 zipcodes. You can find it at:
http://federalgovernmentzipcodes.us/
There are more recent data lists available from companies that compile this information on a regular basis, but they charge for their lists (and the data is changing often).
(Modified by Moderator on 2015-05-27 16:21:15)
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