Look up USPS shipping zones by ZIP code with our free interactive map. Enter any origin and destination to see your zone instantly.
| # | Origin ZIP | Destination ZIP | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
USPS shipping zones are numbered regions that represent the distance between an origin and destination ZIP code. The United States Postal Service divides the country into zones 1 through 9, where Zone 1 is the closest (local, within the same sectional center facility) and Zone 8 is the farthest within the contiguous states. Zone 9 covers U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Zones are determined by the first three digits of the ZIP code, known as the ZIP3 prefix. USPS calculates zones based on the distance between sectional center facilities (SCFs), which are the regional mail processing hubs. Two addresses in the same city can fall into different zones if they are served by different SCFs, though this is uncommon.
Zone-based pricing applies to most USPS services including Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Parcel Select, and USPS Ground Advantage for heavier packages. The higher the zone, the more you pay. For businesses shipping hundreds or thousands of packages per week, even a one-zone reduction on a significant portion of shipments can translate to meaningful savings.
The table below shows USPS zones between 10 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Use this as a quick reference, or enter your specific ZIP codes into the lookup tool above for an exact result.
| From \ To | New York 100xx |
Washington DC 200xx |
Atlanta 303xx |
Chicago 606xx |
Dallas 752xx |
Los Angeles 900xx |
San Francisco 941xx |
Miami 331xx |
Seattle 981xx |
Denver 802xx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (100) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
| Washington DC (200) | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Atlanta (303) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Chicago (606) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Dallas (752) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Los Angeles (900) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| San Francisco (941) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| Miami (331) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Seattle (981) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
| Denver (802) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
USPS uses a zone-plus-weight pricing model for most services. The cost of a shipment is determined by two factors: the shipping zone (distance) and the package weight. As either increases, so does the price. A 5-pound package shipped from New York to Los Angeles (Zone 8) will cost significantly more than the same package shipped from New York to Washington DC (Zone 3).
The cost difference between zones is not linear. The jump from Zone 2 to Zone 3 is relatively small, but the jump from Zone 6 to Zone 8 can be substantial. For businesses with high shipping volumes, this means that even small improvements in zone distribution can produce large savings. Strategies include splitting inventory across multiple warehouses, choosing fulfillment centers closer to your customer base, or consolidating shipments to reduce per-package costs.
Some USPS services are not zone-based. First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail use flat pricing regardless of distance. USPS Ground Advantage also uses flat pricing for packages under 1 pound. Understanding which of your services are zone-sensitive helps you focus optimization efforts where they have the most impact.
To find the USPS zone between any two locations, you need the origin ZIP code and the destination ZIP code. Enter both into the lookup tool at the top of this page and the zone will appear instantly. You can look up multiple pairs at once using the table rows.
For a visual overview, hover over the map with your mouse. The map will color-code every region of the country by zone relative to wherever you are hovering, giving you a quick sense of your zone distribution from any origin point. Lighter colors represent lower zones (closer, cheaper) and darker colors represent higher zones (farther, more expensive).
USPS also provides an official zone chart through their Domestic Zone Chart tool, but it returns results for 3-digit ZIP prefixes only. Our tool uses the same underlying zone data while adding the interactive map visualization and multi-row lookup for faster workflows.
While both USPS and UPS use zone-based pricing, their zone systems are different. USPS assigns zones 1 through 9, while UPS uses zones 2 through 8. USPS Zone 1 covers local deliveries within the same processing facility, a category that does not exist in the UPS system. USPS Zone 9 covers U.S. territories, which UPS handles separately as international or territory-specific pricing.
The same origin-destination pair can fall into a different zone depending on the carrier. For example, a shipment from New York to Chicago is Zone 5 with both USPS and UPS, but a local New York shipment is Zone 1 with USPS and Zone 2 with UPS. This means you cannot use a USPS zone chart to estimate UPS costs or vice versa.
If you ship with UPS, use our dedicated UPS Zone Map for accurate UPS zone lookups. It uses UPS-specific zone data and includes an international zone lookup for UPS Worldwide services.
USPS uses 9 shipping zones. Zone 1 covers local deliveries within the same sectional center facility, zones 2 through 8 represent increasing distances across the contiguous United States, and Zone 9 covers U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
USPS Zone 9 applies to shipments going to U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico (006-009), Guam (969), American Samoa (967), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (008). It is the highest-cost domestic zone and only exists in the USPS system. UPS and FedEx do not have a Zone 9.
Enter your origin ZIP code and destination ZIP code into the zone lookup tool at the top of this page. The tool will instantly show you the USPS zone. You can also hover over the map to see zones visually from any origin point.
Yes. USPS Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and Parcel Select are all zone-based services. The higher the zone, the more you pay. However, USPS First-Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage for lightweight packages use flat pricing that does not vary by zone.
USPS uses zones 1 through 9, while UPS uses zones 2 through 8. USPS Zone 1 covers local deliveries and Zone 9 covers U.S. territories. UPS has no equivalent to either. The same origin-destination pair may fall into a different zone number depending on the carrier, so always check zones per carrier. See our UPS Zone Map for UPS-specific lookups.
Not directly, since zones are based on distance and you cannot change where your customers are. However, you can strategically locate inventory in warehouses closer to your highest-volume destinations. Businesses that distribute inventory across multiple fulfillment centers often drop 1-3 zones on a large portion of their shipments, significantly reducing costs.
USPS zone assignments are based on the distance between sectional center facilities and are relatively stable. However, USPS does occasionally reassign zones when processing facilities are added, closed, or reorganized. It is a good practice to verify your zone chart annually.
Generally, lower zones mean shorter transit times. Zone 1-2 shipments often arrive in 1-2 business days, while zone 7-8 shipments may take 3-5 business days for ground services. Priority Mail Express guarantees delivery times regardless of zone. For standard services, distance and zone are the primary drivers of how long a package takes to arrive.
Zone lookup is just the beginning. We analyze your entire shipping profile — rates, surcharges, service mix, and zone distribution — to find savings you didn't know existed.
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