Zip Code Tabulation Area
Zip Code
A ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) Code is a five-, seven-, nine-, or
eleven-digit code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service to a section of a
street, a collection of streets, an establishment, structure, or group of
post office boxes, for the delivery of mail.
The Census Bureau uses only 5-digit ZIP codes for the addresses and address ranges in most Census 2000 operations.
ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)
A ZIP Code Tabulation Area is a geographic area that approximates the
delivery area for a five-digit or a three-digit ZIP Code. ZCTAs do
not precisely depict the area within which mail deliveries associated with
that Zip Code occur.
SOURCE: American Factfinder Glossary