Question 1

What is the difference between a ZIP code and a ZCTA?

Accepted Answer

A ZIP code is a USPS mail delivery code, attached to delivery routes and addresses rather than to an area. A ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) is the U.S. Census Bureau’s area for a ZIP code, built from the 2020 Census blocks whose addresses mostly use that ZIP code. ZCTAs are the free, public domain way to show ZIP codes as areas, and most of the time they match the ZIP code people use, but near the edges they can differ.

Question 2

Why does my ZIP code have no area?

Accepted Answer

ZIP codes that are only PO boxes, or that serve one large building or organisation, have no Census area, because no Census block mostly uses them. Thousands of ZIP codes, mostly PO-box-only ones, have no Census area. Look up the street address instead to see the ZIP code area around it.

Question 3

How current are the ZIP code areas?

Accepted Answer

They are the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, the latest set the Bureau has drawn. ZIP codes created or changed by USPS after 2020 are not reflected.

Question 4

Can I download the ZIP code shapes from MapGO?

Accepted Answer

No. MapGO shows ZIP code areas for looking up and working on the map, not as a download. The full set is free from the U.S. Census Bureau as the TIGER/Line ZIP Code Tabulation Area files at https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html.

Question 5

How is this different from the USPS ZIP Code Boundaries product?

Accepted Answer

USPS now sells ZIP Code boundaries built from its own delivery data under a paid licence (postalpro.usps.com/zcb). MapGO uses the free Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas instead. They are close to USPS ZIP codes in most places but are not the same thing, and MapGO does not claim they are.

Question 6

Does a point get the state and county of the whole ZIP code?

Accepted Answer

No. When you pick a point, the state and county shown are where that point is. Some ZIP code areas cross a county or even a state line. When you type a ZIP code instead, every state it reaches is listed, with the county that holds most of it.

Question 7

Can I add a ZIP code to every row of a spreadsheet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on a paid plan. Upload a file of addresses or coordinates and MapGO adds the ZIP code to every row, so you do not have to look them up one by one. See the plans on the pricing page.

What ZIP Code Is This Point In? Free ZIP Code Lookup Map