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ZIP Codes are numbered with the first digit representing a certain group of U.S. states, the second and third digits together representing a region in that group (or perhaps a large city) and the fourth and fifth digits representing a group of delivery addresses within that region.

ZIP codes are five digits long. 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.

A ZIP Code indicates the destination post office or delivery area to which a letter will be sent for final sorting for delivery. ZIP Codes designate delivery routes used by mail carriers and areas serviced by the USPS.

Yes, you can get data for Census tracts, block groups and blocks all of which tend to be smaller than zip codes.For most projects, we recommend using Census tracts, because they tend to have lower margins of error than do block groups. Block groups are generally defined to contain between 600 and 3,000 people.

Each ZIP Code is classified as predominately Rural, Urban, or Suburban based on three key factors: population density (people per square mile), distance from nearest city, and size of the nearest city (suburban areas for larger cities extend greater distances).

In 1963 the Post Office Department introduced and vigorously promoted the use of the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code. The code was originally intended to allow mail sorting methods to be automated but ended up creating unimagined socio-economic benefits as an organizing and enabling device.

As of 1963, zip codes' numbers are determined by a few factors: the area, the regional postal facility and the local zone.The final two digits signify the local post office of the address. You may have noticed that zip codes often have a hyphenated four-digit number on the back end which is rarely used.