Zip code 3

I recommend selecting the ZIP5 codes with fillers because that ZIP5 code map layer option will automatically accommodate national parks and other areas where ZIP5 codes do not exist. This avoids lots of territory holes in your business map , especially out west. Remember, if you do change to ZIP5 codes with Fillers the fix is not retroactive. You will have to reconstruct territories to fix those holes. But there can be some differences.

Point ZIP5 codes represent large USPS mail stops for big facilities like military installations, hospitals, assisted living centers, or sky scrapers. With all that in mind, go build yourself a ZIP code map.

An Easy! In areas without a regular postal route or no mail delivery, ZIP codes may not be defined or have unclear boundaries. The main issue is discussed above: there simply isn't always a clear geographic boundary for a ZIP code. The Census Bureau and many other commercial services will try to interpolate the data to create polygons shapes using straight lines to represent the approximate area covered by a ZIP code, but none of these maps are official or entirely accurate.

They provide a very close approximation of the area covered by a ZIP code. You can easily notice some of the boundary issues when viewing our maps. Very rural areas aren't labeled as belonging to a ZIP code such as much of Nevada and Utah where there are few, if any, addresses to deliver mail. If the address is on the same street as a ZIP code boundary on the map, be sure to search for the full street address to determine the ZIP code instead of relying on the map.

Their purpose is to convey statistical data about regions that are familiar to most citizens. As discussed above, it is difficult to precisely define a geographic area covered by a ZIP code.

ZCTAs were developed to account for some of the difficulties in assigning an area to a ZIP code and to precisely define a geographic area. In general, they are updated once every 10 years for the Census. The Census assigns an area to a ZCTA according to census blocks the smallest geographic unit used by the census.

Imagine a city block that makes up a typical census block as pictured to the right. It is bounded on all 4 sides by portions of city streets that each have their own name and addresses. The issue is that census blocks almost always split down the middle of the street. ZIP codes rarely do because that would require two postal workers delivering mail to that street - one for each side of the street. In the example, one mail carrier may deliver to 3 sides of the block via one ZIP code while another mail carrier delivers mail on the other street in a different ZIP code.

When this happens, the Census Bureau will assign the entire block to a single ZCTA in this case, because the census block is the area that is precisely measured. Military Zip Codes: These are used for any mail or deliveries being sent to the U. This is what most homes and businesses use. What Are 3 Digit Zip Codes? Each zip code is divided up into three parts: National Area: The United States is divided up into ten groups of states called national areas.

The first digit of a zip code indicates which one of those groups an address is located in. Regional Area: The ten national areas are divided up into smaller geographic regions usually ten per state , determined by the next two digits. Each of these areas has a sectional center facility that sorts and distributes mail.

Delivery Area: Every regional area is divided up further into several delivery areas, indicated by the last two digits of a zip code. This is the area that the mail is actually being delivered to. Use three-digit zip codes to: Establish Sales Territories: Combine zip codes into several larger areas to use as sales territories for your team. Create Distribution Areas: Do you work in transportation or logistics?

Use three-digit zip codes to establish distribution centers throughout a city. Click the tools icon in the top left hand corner of the screen. Click on the map to create the points of your polygon, then click on the first point to complete it. Use the five-digit zip codes, and the three-digit zip code maps found here , as a guide when creating your territories. Ready to Start Mapping Zip Codes? Share Tweet Share. Learn More. Read Testimonials See what Maptive users have to say about our software.

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