Documentation

This document provides details on the data returned in the ZIP Code API. The API returns a robust set of over 90 attributes about each ZIP Code.

Response Structure

The API response is structured as a JSON object with the following sections:

zipcode

• zipcode - 5 digit ZIP Code. The core identifier for each location.

geographical

• latitude - Latitude coordinate of the ZIP Code centroid. Used for mapping and location-based analysis.
• longitude - Longitude coordinate of the ZIP Code centroid. Used for mapping and location-based analysis.
• elevation - Elevation of the ZIP Code in feet. Useful for geographic modeling and analysis.
• landarea - Land area in square miles. Used to calculate population density.
• waterarea - Water area in square miles. Used to understand the land/water ratio.
• state - 2 letter state abbreviation. Helps link the ZIP Code to higher level geos.
• statefullname - Full state name. Useful for expanding state abbreviations.
• city - Primary city name associated with the ZIP Code.
• county - County name that contains the ZIP Code. Important local geographic entity.
• countymixedcase - County name in proper mixed case. Useful for display purposes.
• region - Census region such as West, Midwest, Northeast, South. High-level geographic categorization.
• division - Census division such as Pacific, Mountain, New England. Granular region segmentation.
• countyansi - ANSI county code. Used to link county names to FIPS codes.

population

• total - Total population. Core population metric.
• male - Male population. Used to analyze gender distribution.
• female - Female population. Used to analyze gender distribution.
• white - White/Caucasian population. Analyze racial distribution.
• black - Black/African American population. Analyze racial distribution.
• hispanic - Hispanic/Latino population. Analyze racial distribution.
• asian - Asian population. Analyze racial distribution.
• hawaiian - Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander population. Analyze racial distribution.
• indian - American Indian/Alaska Native population. Analyze racial distribution.
• other - Population of additional/mixed races. Capture races outside the major categories.

demographics

• medianage - Median age of the total population. Determine if an area skews older or younger.
• medianagemale - Median age of the male population. Analyze age distribution by gender.
• medianagefemale - Median age of the female population. Analyze age distribution by gender.
• householdsperzipcode - Number of households. Useful for household-based analysis.
• personsperhousehold - Average number of persons per household. Understand household density.

economic

• incomeperhousehold - Median household income. Segment by household affluence.
• numberofbusinesses - Total number of businesses located in the ZIP Code. Measure business concentration.
• numberofemployees - Total number of employees working in the ZIP Code. Gauge workforce size.
• businessfirstquarterpayroll - Business payroll for Q1 reported in $1000s. Understand wage spending.
• businessannualpayroll - Total annual business payroll reported in $1000s. Analyze total wage spending.
• averagehousevalue - Median home value. Segment ZIP Codes by home values.
• businessemploymentflag - Indicates if business data is estimated due to confidentiality.
• growthrank - County growth rank based on housing unit expansion. Identify fast growing areas.
• growingcountiesa - Housing units as of 2010. Benchmark for growth calculation.
• growingcountiesb - Housing units as of 2011. Compare to 2010 for growth rate.
• growthincreasenumber - Numeric housing unit growth from 2010 to 2011.
• growthincreasepercentage - Percentage growth in housing units from 2010 to 2011.
• cbsapopulation - Population of the Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA).
• cbsadivisionpopulation - Population of the CBSA Division. Granular metro area data.

postal

• areacode - List of telephone area codes overlapping the ZIP Code. Useful for local calling data.
• cityaliasname - Alternative city name associated with the ZIP Code. Captures additional city names.
• citymixedcase - Primary city name in proper title case. Better for display.
• cityaliasabbreviation - Abbreviated version of the alternate city name if available.
• boxcount - Count of PO Box deliveries. Quantify PO Box usage.
• sfdu - Count of single family home deliveries. Approximates households.
• mfdu - Count of multi-family home deliveries. Approximates apartment units.
• deliveryresidential - Total count of residential deliveries. Combines SFDU and MFDU.
• deliverybusiness - Count of business deliveries. Understand commercial density.
• deliverytotal - Total delivery points including residential, business, PO Boxes, etc. Measures delivery coverage.
• mailingname - Indicates if the alternate city name is valid for mailing purposes.
• classificationcode - USPS classification code for the ZIP Code (Ex: P - Post Office).
• citydeliveryindicator - Denotes if the ZIP Code has city delivery routes.
• cityaliascode - Categorizes the type of alternate city name (University, Airport, etc.)
• additionalcities - List of other cities associated with the ZIP Code.

statisticalarea

• msa - Metropolitan statistical area code. Identifies the metro area.
• pmsa - Primary MSA code if the metro area is subdivided.
• csa - Combined statistical area code. Identifies combined metro areas.
• cbsa - Core based statistical area code. Newer classification system.
• cbsa_div - CBSA division code. Sub-areas of CBSAs.
• cbsa_type - CBSA type of "metro" or "micro" area.
• cbsa_name - Full CBSA name/title.
• msa_name - Full metropolitan statistical area name.
• pmsa_name - Full primary MSA name if applicable.
• csaname - Full combined statistical area name.
• cbsa_div_name - Full CBSA division name.

time

• timezone - Time zone the ZIP Code is located in. Used to manage time variance.
• daylightsaving - Indicates if the ZIP Code observes daylight saving time.
• zipintro - Date the ZIP Code was introduced/added to the USPS system.
• aliasintrodate - Date the alternative city name was added for this ZIP Code.

specialtycodes

• primaryrecord - Flag indicating this is the primary record for this ZIP Code.
• statefips - Two digit FIPS code for the state. Links to lower geos.
• countyfips - Three digit FIPS code for the county. Links to lower geos.
• multicounty - Flag indicating if the ZIP Code crosses county lines. Important for analysis.
• carrierrouteratesortation - Designates automation discounts for carrier route sorting by USPS.
• financenumber - Six digit USPS finance number assigned to facilities.
• uniquezipname - Indicates if the ZIP Code uses a unique name.
• facilitycode - One letter facility type code assigned by USPS.

medicare

• cbsacode - Five digit CBSA code used by Medicare for reimbursement purposes.
• cbsaname - Full CBSA name according to Medicare definitions.
• cbsatype - CBSA type of "metro" or "micro" used by Medicare.
• marketratingareaid - Insurance market rating area ID defined by Medicare. Used for pricing.
• ssastatecountycode - Five digit state/county code used by Social Security Administration.

congressional

• district - Congressional districts the ZIP Code overlaps. Used for political analysis.
• landarea - The approximate land areas in square miles of each congressional district.

This covers all 90+ attributes available in the ZIP Code API. Let me know if any part needs additional clarification or expansion!