Zone Improvement Plan ZIP Code

From Chaos to Efficiency: Unveiling the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) of 1963


Excert from Page 44 of the Lansing State Journal on Sun 16 Jun 1963 in Lansing, MI where the USPS.

When the ZIP Code system was introduced in 1963, it brought improvement in mail processing and delivery efficiency by shortening the steps required to process a piece of mail. Just the ZIP Code alone canceled 6 of the 10 mail routing steps previously used by the USPS. But the USPS had to promote this change heavily to educate customers on how to use it. They faced significant pushback towards adopting it from customers who were hesitant to understand why it was being used. This image is an excerpt from Page 44 of the Lansing State Journal on Sun 16 Jun 1963 in Lansing, MI where the USPS attempts to educcate it's customers on the ZIP Code system.

 

National Areas

The ZIP Code system divided the United States into ten geographic regions called "national areas". These areas were designed to facilitate efficient mail sorting and delivery. Each national area was assigned a specific range of ZIP Codes and was the first number in the ZIP Code.

When the USPS introduced the ZIP Code system in 1963, the ten National Areas and the states included in each area were as follows:

  1. National Area 0: Northeast Region
    • Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), Maine (ME), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), Vermont (VT)
  2. National Area 1: Eastern Region
    • Delaware (DE), New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA)
  3. National Area 2: Southeast Region
    • District of Columbia (DC), Maryland (MD), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV)
  4. National Area 3: Great Lakes Region
    • Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Michigan (MI), Ohio (OH), Wisconsin (WI)
  5. National Area 4: Central Region
    • Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Kentucky (KY), Mississippi (MS), Tennessee (TN)
  6. National Area 5: South Central Region
    • Louisiana (LA), Oklahoma (OK), Texas (TX)
  7. National Area 6: Great Plains Region
    • Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), North Dakota (ND), South Dakota (SD)
  8. National Area 7: Mountain Region
    • Arizona (AZ), Colorado (CO), Idaho (ID), Montana (MT), New Mexico (NM), Nevada (NV), Utah (UT), Wyoming (WY)
  9. National Area 8: Pacific Region
    • Alaska (AK), California (CA), Hawaii (HI), Oregon (OR), Washington (WA)
  10. National Area 9: Western Region
    • Arkansas (AR), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Missouri (MO), Tennessee (TN)

 

Five Digits in a ZIP Code: Specific meanings

Showing what the 5 digits in each ZIP Code represent: National Area, State, Sedctional Center, and Post Office.

When introduced as a 5 digit number, the different parts of the ZIP Code had very specific meanings

 

Shortened Routing Steps

Showing how 6 of the 10 basic routing stepos for U.S. mailw ould be removed by the adoption of the Zone Improvement Plan, aka ZIP Code.

The introduction of ZIP Codes shortened routing steps in mail processing and delivery. Before ZIP Codes, mail sorting was often based on city or postal zone numbers. Introducing the ZIP Code was a more automated way to sort mail, streamlining the routing process, eliminating intermediary steps, and improving accuracy and precision in mail delivery. These advancements significantly reduced the time it took for mail to be processed and delivered, leading to enhanced efficiency within the United States postal system, especially once computerized systems took the place of humans and made the process incredibly fast.

 

Improved Mail Efficiency in 1963

The ZIP Code system introduced several improvements that enhanced mail efficiency:

 

Changes to the ZIP Code System Today (Compared to 1963)

Since its introduction, the ZIP Code system has undergone some changes to adapt to evolving needs and advancements in technology:

  1. Expanded ZIP+4: The original five-digit ZIP Code has been expanded to a ZIP+4 format. The additional four digits provide even more precise geographic information, such as specific addresses or building segments within a Sectional Center Facility (SCF) or delivery zone. This increased specificity further enhances mail efficiency.
  2. ZIP Code Database: The USPS maintains a comprehensive ZIP Code database, continuously updating and refining the information. This ensures accurate and up-to-date routing and delivery.
  3. ZIP Code Extensions: In certain cases, ZIP Code extensions beyond the standard nine digits are used to represent more specific areas or unique delivery points, such as large organizations or government buildings.
  4. Delivery Point Barcode: The USPS implemented the Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC) system, which encodes the ZIP Code, ZIP+4, and delivery point information into a barcode. This barcode is used for automated sorting, improving efficiency and accuracy.
  5. Enhanced Technology: Modern sorting machines utilize advanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology and other automated systems to read and sort mail based on ZIP Codes. This technology has further improved mail processing speed and accuracy.

Overall, the ZIP Code system has continued to evolve and adapt, incorporating technological advancements and refining processes to enhance mail efficiency. These changes have further improved routing accuracy, reduced delivery times, and facilitated better tracking and monitoring capabilities.