You’re probably looking for a single number. Most people are. They hop onto Google, type in "what is the postal code of New York," and expect a clean, five-digit answer like they’d get for a small town in Kansas.
But New York City doesn’t work like that. It’s too big. Too loud. Too packed with people.
If you use a generic code like 10001, your mail might get there, or it might end up sitting in a sorting facility in Midtown while your package gathers dust. Honestly, New York is a grid of thousands of micro-neighborhoods, and each one has its own identity—and its own ZIP code. There are actually over 200 of them.
The 10001 Myth and How the System Works
Most people default to 10001. It’s the famous one. It covers a chunk of Chelsea and the area around Penn Station. If you’ve seen Miracle on 34th Street, you’re looking at 10001 territory. But if you’re sending a letter to an office in the Financial District or a brownstone in Brooklyn, 10001 is useless.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) designed the system to be hierarchical. The first digit, "1," represents a group of Northeastern states. The "00" indicates the sectional center facility—in this case, the main sorting hubs in Manhattan. The last two digits are where the magic happens. They tell the mail carrier exactly which street corner or high-rise building they need to hit.
Manhattan codes almost always start with 100, 101, or 102. If you see a 104, you’re looking at the Bronx. Brooklyn takes the 112 range, while Queens is a bit of a wildcard with 111, 113, 114, and 116. Staten Island keeps it simple with 103.
It’s a massive web.
Why does New York have so many?
Population density is the short answer. A single skyscraper in Manhattan, like the Empire State Building, is so busy that it actually has its own ZIP code: 10118. Think about that for a second. An entire postal designation for one building.
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When thousands of people work in one vertical space, the volume of mail is higher than many mid-sized American suburbs. The USPS had to break the city down into tiny fragments just to keep the mail trucks from overflowing. If you’re trying to find the postal code of New York for a specific address, you have to be precise. "New York, NY" usually refers specifically to Manhattan. If you're in the other boroughs, you'd technically write "Brooklyn, NY" or "Bronx, NY."
Breaking Down the Boroughs
Let's get into the weeds.
Manhattan is the heart of the "100" prefix. If you’re hanging out in the Upper West Side, you’re likely in 10023, 10024, or 10025. Move over to the East Side, and you’re looking at 10021 or 10028. Lower Manhattan, where the cobblestone streets of SoHo and the glass towers of Wall Street live, uses 10012, 10013, and 10005.
Brooklyn is a different beast entirely. It’s the most populous borough. 11201 covers the fancy heights and the tech hubs of DUMBO. If you’re headed deep into South Brooklyn for some authentic food in Brighton Beach, you’ll be dealing with 11235.
Queens is where it gets confusing for outsiders. People often address mail to specific neighborhoods like "Astoria, NY" or "Flushing, NY" rather than just "Queens."
- Astoria: 11101, 11102, 11103, 11105, 11106
- Flushing: 11351 through 11358
- Jamaica: 11432, 11433, 11434
The Bronx stays pretty consistent. You’ll see 10451 near Yankee Stadium. If you’re up by Pelham Bay Park, it’s 10465. It’s a bit more predictable than the madness of Queens.
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Staten Island feels like a different world, and its codes reflect that. 10301 to 10314. It’s the only borough where you might actually find a backyard and a driveway, and the postal routes are a bit more spread out.
Common Mistakes When Sending Mail to NYC
I’ve seen people lose packages because they assumed "New York" meant the whole state. It doesn't.
If you put "New York, NY 11211" on an envelope, you might have a problem. 11211 is Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Technically, the USPS wants you to write "Brooklyn, NY 11211." While the machines are smart enough to catch the ZIP code and ignore the city name, it slows things down.
Another weird quirk? The "Plus 4" codes. You’ve seen them: 10001-1234. That extra four-digit add-on identifies a specific side of a street or even a specific floor in a building. In a city where a single block can house 500 residents, those four extra numbers are the difference between your Amazon package arriving today or wandering the hallways of the wrong building for a week.
The Prestige of the Code
Believe it or not, ZIP codes in New York are a status symbol. 10021 (the Upper East Side) was long considered the wealthiest ZIP code in the country. Real estate agents use these numbers as shorthand for luxury. If you tell someone you live in "10013," they know you’re in a high-end loft in TriBeCa.
It’s sort of ridiculous, but that’s the city for you.
How to Find the Right Code Right Now
Don't guess. Seriously.
If you have a specific street address, the absolute best way to find the postal code of New York is to use the official USPS ZIP Code Lookup tool. You put in the house number and the street name, and it gives you the exact five-plus-four code.
If you're just trying to fill out a form and need a placeholder, 10001 is the "standard," but it's rarely the "right" one for your actual location.
Actionable Steps for Navigating NYC Postal Codes
- Check the Borough First: Never assume "New York, NY" covers everything. If the address is in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island, use the borough name as the city.
- Use the Empire State Building Rule: If you are mailing to a major landmark or a massive skyscraper, double-check if it has its own unique code. Many do.
- Validate via USPS: Use the USPS LookUp Tool for any official documents.
- Mind the Neighborhoods: In Queens especially, knowing the neighborhood name (like Long Island City vs. Sunnyside) helps ensure the mail reaches the right local station.
- Always Include the Apartment Number: This is non-negotiable. A ZIP code gets it to the building; the apartment number gets it to the human.
New York is a collection of villages. Treating it like one giant entity is the fastest way to get your mail lost. Get specific, use the right borough name, and always verify the last two digits of that code.