An interactive postal geography

How ZIP codes carve up America

Start with ten broad first-digit regions, then reveal the first three digits used for sectional sorting areas, then zoom all the way into mapped five-digit ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

Geographic detail

First-digit regions

Color shows the first digit; state outlines are reference only.

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom · double-click to focus

0–9

Ten broad regions

Hover over the map to see a region. Click to hold a selection; use the detail buttons above to reveal ZIP3 and ZIP5 boundaries.

first digitZIP3ZIP5

The first digit moves roughly east to west

The pattern follows postal operations, not clean political borders. Select a row to locate that region.