Distance between ZIP codes

How to use it

Type the first ZIP code and then the second: the straight-line distance shows up as soon as both are complete, with both ZIP code areas drawn on the map. Tap “Get the driving distance” to see the miles by road, the approximate driving time and the route. The link keeps both ZIP codes so you can share it.

From 10001 (New York, NY) to 02108 (Boston, MA)

In a straight line, 10001 (New York, NY) and 02108 (Boston, MA) are 188.0 miles (302.6 km) apart, measured between the centers of the two ZIP areas: 02108 lies northeast of 10001. The driving distance is always longer, because roads wind around.

Where it measures from

A ZIP code covers an area, so the tool measures between the interior points the Census Bureau gives each ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA). For large rural ZIP codes, a particular address can be several miles from that point.

Straight-line distances are calculated on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the Earth model GPS uses. Driving routes come from OpenStreetMap through the FOSSGIS OSRM service and include ferries where needed, so a route to an island counts the crossing too.

What the five digits mean

The first digit is a group of states, numbered from east to west: 0 is New England, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, and 9 the Pacific Coast, Alaska and Hawaii. The first three digits point to the sectional center that sorts the mail, and the last two to the post office or delivery area. That’s why ZIP codes that start the same way are usually close to each other, though not always: the numbers follow mail routes, not straight lines.

There are 33,642 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas in the 50 states and DC. ZIP codes used only for PO boxes, a single building or a big organization, like 10118 for the Empire State Building, have no area of their own.

Distances between some well-known ZIP codes