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      Zip Code Tabulation Areas Overlay

      Learn about the Zip Code Tabulation Areas Overlay, including the definition, benefits, tips, coverage and update frequency.

      Available with any of the following subscriptions: 

      • All plans

      Definition

      ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are a geographic product of the U.S. Census Bureau created to allow mapping, display, and geographic analyses of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Codes dataset.

      Introduced in 1963, the ZIP Code is a trademark of the USPS, designed to facilitate the organization of mail handling and delivery. The USPS allocates ZIP Code ranges to regional post offices, which, in turn, assign ZIP Codes to specific delivery routes. These routes comprise street networks or individual units with substantial mail volumes, such as high-rise buildings or individual business locations. Within the Census Bureau's MAF/TIGER System, ZIP Codes are stored as a component of discrete addresses linked to delivery points, including the precise locations of housing units. This results in a point-based dataset that may not be suitable for mapping and various analytical applications.

      ZCTAs (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas) offer generalized areal representations of the geographic extent and distribution of point-based ZIP Codes, constructed using 2020 Census tabulation blocks. Due to Title 13 restrictions, the Census Bureau cannot release individual housing unit addresses or location information to the public. Consequently, point-based ZIP Code data are unsuitable for distribution and publication. However, the aggregation of points and their extrapolation into polygonal-based units (census tabulation blocks) addresses disclosure concerns.

      Zip Code Tabulation on map

      Key Benefits

      Zip code tabulation areas can be used for planning marketing mailers and logistics planning.

      Tip:  Label includes the zip code number of each shape.

      Limitations: 

      • These data are only updated with the Decennial U.S. Census; boundaries are generalized during the aggregation process.
      • This overlay should be used for reference only. Users should be cautious of potential temporal lags in updates, omissions and positional precision errors.

      Coverage

      United States of America

      Update Frequency

      Every 10 years