# What Zip Codes in Which State **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665 "2002-03-29T00:30:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/1 "2002-03-29T00:30:03Z")
Is there a site that will tell me what zip codes belong in what state. For example 606-693 are IL and 567-590 are in KS (or whatever. That is obviously wrong) I can’t seem to pull up anything useful on [www.google.com](http://www.google.com) Thanks ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/2 "2002-03-29T00:31:53Z")
Try [http://www.usps.gov](http://www.usps.gov) ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/3 "2002-03-29T05:16:59Z")
Are you looking for something in particular? Zip Code Lookup. [http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/lookup\_zip+4.html](http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html) You can look up city/state zips here. [http://www.usps.com/cgi-bin/zip4/ctystzip2](http://www.usps.com/cgi-bin/zip4/ctystzip2) Zip codes aren’t organized exactly by state–they start at the East Coast and work their way westward, so generally speaking your 10000 Zip codes are going to be your New York zip codes and your 90000 are going to be your California/Alaska/Hawaii zip codes, but there’s a lot of overlap. [http://www.usps.gov/history/his2\_75.htm#ZIP](http://www.usps.gov/history/his2_75.htm#ZIP) > [@](#): > > The first digit designated a broad geographical area of the United States, ranging from zero for the Northeast to nine for the far West. This was followed by two digits that more closely pinpointed population concentrations and those sectional centers accessible to common transportation networks. The final two digits designated small post offices or postal zones in larger zoned cities. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/4 "2002-03-31T20:16:27Z")
Actually those sites don’t tell me what I need to know. But thanks. I have a database and I need to know where the addresses come from. So for example If I know that all zip codes between 600-9=609 are from Illinois (I know this is wrong) I can organize them. Or that 840-899 is UTAH etc etc. The post office site only will find a zip if you give a specific city. I have 293,000 profiles to figure out. Any ideas would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/5 "2002-03-31T21:08:32Z")
I don’t know why I’m doing this research for you, but I believe you should call 1-800-238-3150 and order Publication 66, “ZIP+4 State Directories.” BTW, **Duck** , those addresses are wrong - they should be _dot-gov_. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/6 "2002-03-31T22:47:44Z")
One of the most remarkable street performers anyone could have seen is a guy everyone calls The Zip Code Guy. We saw him in Boulder a few years ago. On the ground, he lays out a long piece of rope into the shape of the US, and stands in the middle. People in the crowd tell him what town - or what part of town - they’re from, and he tells them the zip code. Or, people tell their zip code and he tells them where they’re from, and maybe a little about their neighborhood! It may be a little inconvenient for you to travel around the US with him, but he’s the ultimate authority. By the way, when we saw him, someone yelled out a zip code to him that made him frown and then he said, “Hey! That’s not fair! This guy’s not even from the US - he’s from Brussels!” I mean, the guy’s amazin’ !! ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/7 "2002-04-01T00:39:49Z")
chula - .com is a perfectly valid top-level domain for the USPS - try it. You can’t get good bulk zip code data for free. At least not 5+4. Many of the enterprise apps I’ve written require good address verification methods. Several of my clients subscribe to zipcode data providers, but for those that don’t, I’ve written a program that retrieves the data on demand from the USPS and compiles it over time. I couldn’t find a list like the one you need readily available on the internet, so I built a query for you from my own dataset that groups the first 3 numerals with the 2-letter state code. It should solve your immediate problem. It’s too long to post here, so get it from my temporary webhost below. (You’re welcome 🙂 ) Plain text, tab delimited: [3-digit Zip Code prefixes](http://www.geocities.com/evilhanz/zipprefix.txt) in numeric order with state code [3-digit Zip Code prefixes](http://www.geocities.com/evilhanz/zipprefixbystate.txt) with state code in state order, then zip prefix A note to other readers, I will only host this for the next 24 hours. Do not email me for this list or any subset of the Zip+4 database. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/8 "2002-04-01T00:44:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilhanz \* > **chula - .com is a perfectly valid top-level domain for the USPS - try it.** I stand corrected. The second link didn’t work, and I assumed that was why. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/9 "2002-04-01T01:17:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilhanz \* > **I couldn’t find a list like the one you need readily available on the internet, so I built a query for you from my own dataset that groups the first 3 numerals with the 2-letter state code. It should solve your immediate problem. It’s too long to post here, so get it from my temporary webhost below. (You’re welcome 🙂 )** Wow, **THANK YOU!** 😃 And I don’t even have a need for this, but stuff like Zip Codes and Area Codes fascinate me. Indeed, I do need a life 😉 As an aside, I hope I’m not the only one who had to look up which State AE is. Hint: It’s Armed Forces, not a State 😉 Mike, who loves this place! ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/10 "2002-04-01T01:44:31Z")
Anyone who works with databases or address data entry long enough probably knows that 2-letter “state” codes include: PR - Puerto Rico DC - the District of Columbia VI - Virgin Islands AA - Armed Forces of North and South America AE - Armed Forces of the Eastern Hemispherre AP - Armed Forces of the Pacific GU - Guam PW - Palau MH - Marshall Islands WQ - Wake Island AS - American Samoa FM - Federated States of Micronesia MP - Northern Mariana Islands The complete list is at the USPS website. I’ve also seen IQ for “Other Pacific Islands” in custom data entry apps, but it’s not in the official list. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/11 "2002-04-14T01:18:02Z")
I hate to take bandwith so to speak but THANKS ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-zip-codes-in-which-state/100665/12 "2002-04-14T15:10:28Z")
If you have AOL Instant Messenger you can add a name to your buddylist called “SmarterChild.” This is a bot that can tell you zip codes, area codes, weather for any given area, movie times, etc etc.