PlainZIP
U.S. Census ACS · ZIP Code Tabulation Areas · refreshed annually

Which ZIP code fits the life you're planning?

33,099 U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas spanning all 50 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico: median income, home values, demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns. Sourced directly from U.S. Census Bureau ACS + ZBP.

Or browse By state Rankings All 33k Guides

The national picture

America's 33,099 ZIP codes are profoundly uneven. The median ZIP holds about 2,800 residents, yet Chicago's 60629 packs over 113,000, and household income runs from a $72,000 national median to past $119,000 in the wealthiest tenth.

33,099
ZIP codes nationwide
2,800
residents in the median ZIP
$72,000
median ZIP household income
Texas
most ZIP codes (1,935)

Every figure is a live aggregate over reporting ZIPs from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates — no estimates, no proprietary scoring.

How household income is distributed across US ZIP codes

Median household income by ZIP — the national shape, with the median marked

$72,072 Midpoint higher than 50% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. National median $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Where do most U.S. ZIP codes live?

Coverage isn't population-driven, it follows USPS delivery routes. U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2023 5-Year publishes one ZCTA per delivery cluster, so geographically broad states (Texas, Pennsylvania, New York) lead by count even where their populations don't. Pick a state below to explore its ZIPs.

Alabama 642 Alaska 238 Arizona 405 Arkansas 591 California 1,761 Colorado 525 Connecticut 282 Delaware 67 District of Columbia 52 Florida 983 Georgia 735 Hawaii 94 Idaho 277 Illinois 1,383 Indiana 775 Iowa 934 Kansas 697 Kentucky 767 Louisiana 515 Maine 432 Maryland 468 Massachusetts 537 Michigan 986 Minnesota 884 Mississippi 423 Missouri 1,022 Montana 361 Nebraska 581 Nevada 175 New Hampshire 248 New Jersey 595 New Mexico 368 New York 1,794 North Carolina 808 North Dakota 383 Ohio 1,195 Oklahoma 648 Oregon 417 Pennsylvania 1,795 Puerto Rico 131 Rhode Island 77 South Carolina 424 South Dakota 371 Tennessee 628 Texas 1,935 Utah 287 Vermont 255 Virginia 896 Washington 596 West Virginia 706 Wisconsin 772 Wyoming 178

Which ZIP codes have the most people?

The 20 most populated ZIP Code Tabulation Areas in the United States, ranked by the population the U.S. Census Bureau publishes for each ZCTA. Higher-density ZIPs concentrate in dense urban cores, but the population leader rarely matches the rent or income leader (see our research pages for the full crossover).

60629 113,916 people

Chicago, IL

6,466 per sq mi
79936 111,086 people

El Paso, TX

1,611 per sq mi
11368 109,931 people

Corona, NY

16,141 per sq mi
00926 108,862 people

San Juan, PR

1,740 per sq mi
90650 105,549 people

Norwalk, CA

4,154 per sq mi
90011 103,892 people

Los Angeles, CA

9,359 per sq mi
91331 103,689 people

Pacoima, CA

4,522 per sq mi
11226 101,572 people

Brooklyn, NY

30,415 per sq mi
90201 101,279 people

Bell Gardens, CA

6,586 per sq mi
11373 100,820 people

Elmhurst, NY

25,574 per sq mi
11220 99,598 people

Brooklyn, NY

22,037 per sq mi
11385 98,592 people

Ridgewood, NY

10,528 per sq mi
10467 97,060 people

Bronx, NY

16,045 per sq mi
92335 95,397 people

Fontana, CA

2,123 per sq mi
77084 95,137 people

Houston, TX

1,198 per sq mi
10025 94,600 people

New York, NY

48,594 per sq mi
11208 94,469 people

Brooklyn, NY

10,195 per sq mi
90280 94,396 people

South Gate, CA

4,989 per sq mi
77449 94,382 people

Katy, TX

1,220 per sq mi
11236 93,877 people

Brooklyn, NY

10,071 per sq mi

How are ZIP codes split across U.S. time zones?

Every ZCTA carries an IANA time zone identifier, useful when you're coordinating across the U.S. or pricing services that depend on local hours. simplemaps US ZIP database, April 2026 vintage.

Eastern

America/New_York

13,022
Central

America/Chicago

12,335
Pacific

America/Los_Angeles

3,020
Mountain

America/Denver

1,987
Eastern (Detroit)

America/Detroit

953
Eastern (Indiana)

America/Indiana/Indianapolis

570
Arizona (MST)

America/Phoenix

374
Mountain (Boise)

America/Boise

207
Alaska

America/Anchorage

163
America/Puerto_Rico

America/Puerto_Rico

131
Hawaii

Pacific/Honolulu

94
America/Nome

America/Nome

47
America/Menominee

America/Menominee

38
Eastern (Kentucky)

America/Kentucky/Louisville

33
America/Indiana/Vincennes

America/Indiana/Vincennes

31
America/Sitka

America/Sitka

14
America/Juneau

America/Juneau

10
America/Indiana/Tell_City

America/Indiana/Tell_City

9
America/Toronto

America/Toronto

9
America/North_Dakota/New_Salem

America/North_Dakota/New_Salem

8
America/Indiana/Marengo

America/Indiana/Marengo

7
America/Indiana/Knox

America/Indiana/Knox

6
America/Indiana/Petersburg

America/Indiana/Petersburg

6
America/Indiana/Winamac

America/Indiana/Winamac

5
America/North_Dakota/Beulah

America/North_Dakota/Beulah

5
America/Indiana/Vevay

America/Indiana/Vevay

4
Hawaii-Aleutian

America/Adak

2
America/Kentucky/Monticello

America/Kentucky/Monticello

2
America/Winnipeg

America/Winnipeg

2
America/Metlakatla

America/Metlakatla

1
America/Montreal

America/Montreal

1
America/North_Dakota/Center

America/North_Dakota/Center

1
America/Ojinaga

America/Ojinaga

1
America/Yakutat

America/Yakutat

1

Read more

All guides & research →

Where the ZIP codes live

Top 10 states by ZIP-code count

Texas leads the U.S. by total ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, a function of geographic spread plus delivery-route density, not population alone. Hover any bar to see the full state name, count, and rank.

ZIP-code count, top 10 states

Each bar is the count of ZIP Code Tabulation Areas the Census Bureau publishes for that state.

ZIP codes

What this shows The top three (Texas · Pennsylvania · New York) together account for roughly 18% of every ZCTA in the country. Coverage is not population-driven, it tracks USPS delivery-route density, which means rural-leaning states with many small towns rank higher than their population alone would suggest.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of March 2026
View all 50 states, DC & Puerto Rico →

About this data

How PlainZIP works, and why you can trust these numbers

What this site is

PlainZIP is a plain-language reference for U.S. Census Bureau ZIP-code data, demographics, household income, housing tenure, rent levels, local business establishments. We aggregate the federal data the Census publishes for every ZIP Code Tabulation Area into a single search-and-browse interface, with every figure traceable to its source row.

Editorial process

  1. Source. Pull the latest Census ACS 5-Year release + ZIP Code Business Patterns annual file.
  2. Verify. Spot-check each cohort against the public Census table; reject pages where the input is below the Bureau's reporting threshold.
  3. Publish. Compile a per-ZIP profile with the figure, the source URL, and the vintage. Every page links back so readers can audit our number against the original.

Editorial independence & corrections

The PlainZIP editorial team is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any covered entity. If you find an error or stale figure, file a correction via the contact page. We respond within 72 hours and publish corrections with a visible revision note. See our methodology page for full source attribution and refresh cadence.

Frequently asked

Where does PlainZIP get its data?

All data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), which collects detailed demographic, economic, and housing data for ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) across the United States.

How many ZIP codes does PlainZIP cover?

PlainZIP includes data for approximately 33,000 ZIP code tabulation areas, covering demographics, income, housing, education, and commute patterns for the entire United States.

Is PlainZIP free?

Yes, PlainZIP is completely free. You can look up any ZIP code, view scorecards, compare dashboards, and explore demographic data without any account or subscription.

What is the difference between a ZIP code and a ZCTA?

ZIP codes are mail delivery routes defined by USPS, while ZCTAs (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas) are Census Bureau geographic areas that approximate ZIP code boundaries. PlainZIP uses ZCTAs because they have well-defined boundaries suitable for demographic analysis.