AddressPlotter

Plot ZIP codes on a map

A column of ZIP codes is enough. Each row becomes a pin at a central point within its ZIP code area, so you can see where your customers, members or orders are.

Loading the tool… Your file stays in your browser: only the text of each address is sent to place it on the map.

Example data from the FDIC BankFind database (U.S. government data, public domain), courtesy of the FDIC.

When a ZIP code is all you have

Many lists carry only a ZIP code: newsletter sign-ups, survey answers, donors, warranty registrations, store loyalty cards. That is enough to see the pattern. Paste the column, or a sheet where one column holds the ZIP codes, and each row becomes a pin.

On this page the default country is the United States, so a bare five-digit number is read as a US ZIP code. Canadian postal codes (K1A 0B1) and British or Australian postcodes are recognized by their shape; for those, see the postcode map.

What you see

  • Clusters with numbers where many rows share an area, so a city with 300 customers does not hide under one pin. Zoom in and they split.
  • Color pins by category, if your list has a column with a few distinct values: plan, segment, sales rep, year.
  • Counts before you start: how many different ZIP codes will be looked up, and how many rows repeat one that is already in the list (those do not count toward your daily lookup limit).

Fixing Excel’s ZIP codes

Excel treats 02134 as a number and stores 2134. In a column recognized as ZIP codes, the tool puts the zero back: four-digit values get their leading zero back, and three-digit values are padded with two leading zeros. A nine-digit number becomes a ZIP+4. Nothing is changed in your file; the repair is only used to place the pins.

How precise is a ZIP code pin?

A ZIP code covers anything from a few blocks in a city to hundreds of square miles in the country. Its pin is placed at a central point of that area. That is right for questions such as “where do our members live?” or “which regions order the most?”, not for routing to a door. When a row also has a street address, use it: the pin then goes to the address.

Free, private

Up to 500 rows per map, free, no account. Your file stays in your browser; only the ZIP codes are sent to place the pins. Downloading the list with latitude and longitude added is part of Pro ($19 for 7 days).

Questions

Where is a ZIP code placed?

At a central point of the ZIP code area. It is precise enough to see where a list is spread out, not to find a door. For a precise pin, add the street address.

My ZIP codes lost their leading zero in Excel. Is that a problem?

No. In a ZIP code column, 2134 is read as 02134 and 501 as 00501. ZIP+4 codes (02134-1234) are understood too.

Many rows share the same ZIP. Does each count as a lookup?

No. Each ZIP code is looked up once, however many rows share it; repeated rows do not count toward your daily lookup limit and are grouped into a cluster showing the number of rows.

Can I mix ZIP codes and full addresses?

Yes. Rows with a full address are placed at the address, rows with only a ZIP at the ZIP code.

Other ways to use AddressPlotter

Guides