ZIP Code Lookup
Find city, state, country, and coordinates for any postal code worldwide.
Postal Code Search
Quick examples:
Postal code data from Zippopotam.us
Find city, state, country, and coordinates for any postal code worldwide.
Quick examples:
Postal code data from Zippopotam.us
ZIP codes (Zone Improvement Plan codes) were introduced by the United States Postal Service in 1963 to improve mail delivery efficiency. The basic format uses five digits where the first digit represents a broad geographic region, the next two narrow it to a sectional center facility, and the final two identify a specific post office or delivery area. The extended ZIP+4 format adds a hyphen and four more digits to pinpoint a specific block or building.
The system is hierarchical by design. Codes starting with 0 cover the Northeast, while codes starting with 9 serve the West Coast and Pacific territories. This structure allows sorting machines and carriers to quickly route mail to the correct region, city, and neighborhood without needing to read the full address.
Every country that uses a postal system has its own format for postal codes. The UK uses alphanumeric postcodes like SW1A 1AA that encode both the area and the street-level delivery point. Canada uses a six-character alternating letter-number format (e.g., K1A 0B1). Germany, France, and many European countries use five-digit numeric codes. Japan uses seven-digit codes with a hyphen after the first three digits.
Despite the differences in format, all postal code systems share the same fundamental purpose: breaking a country into progressively smaller geographic zones to speed up mail sorting and delivery. Many countries also use their postal code systems for census data, demographic analysis, and service area planning.
Marketers and advertisers frequently use ZIP code data for geographic targeting, audience segmentation, and local campaign planning. By mapping customer ZIP codes to demographic data, businesses can identify high-value areas, tailor messaging by region, and allocate advertising budgets more effectively.
Retail businesses use ZIP code analysis to decide where to open new locations. Direct mail campaigns target specific codes based on household income, population density, or proximity to existing stores. Digital advertisers use ZIP-level targeting on platforms like Google Ads and Facebook to reach users in specific neighborhoods. Understanding the geographic distribution of your customer base starts with accurate postal code data.
Geocoding is the process of converting an address or postal code into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). This is essential for mapping applications, delivery routing, store locators, and any system that needs to calculate distances or display locations on a map.
Postal code geocoding provides the centroid (center point) of the area covered by that code. For most applications like showing a city on a map or calculating approximate distances, this level of precision is sufficient. For exact building-level coordinates, you would need full address geocoding. This tool provides postal code-level coordinates that work well for regional analysis, travel planning, and general location identification.
This tool supports postal code lookups for 22 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, India, Brazil, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Mexico, and Japan. Select your country from the dropdown before entering the postal code.
A single postal code can cover multiple neighborhoods, towns, or communities. This is especially common in rural areas where one ZIP code spans a large geographic area containing several small towns. The tool displays all places associated with the code so you can see the full coverage area.
Enter UK postcodes in their standard format with a space between the outward and inward parts, for example SW1A 1AA or EC1A 1BB. The tool will accept both full postcodes and partial outward codes. UK postcodes are alphanumeric and case-insensitive.
The coordinates represent the approximate center point (centroid) of the postal code area. They are accurate enough for showing the general location on a map, calculating rough distances, and identifying the city or region. For precise building-level coordinates, you would need a full street address geocoding service.
Yes, this tool is completely free with no sign-up required. It uses the Zippopotam.us public API which provides postal code data for dozens of countries at no cost. There are no usage limits for normal individual use.