Maponics Blog

U.S. Postal Service Overhaul Captured in Latest Maponics ZIP Code Data Release

by Zephyr on November 19, 2009 at 7:20PM

After its eighth consecutive quarter of significant financial losses, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it would begin a massive re-evaluation of its delivery infrastructure in February of this year (http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_015.htm ). Aiming to cut billions in ongoing costs, the USPS planned to look at:

• consolidating facilities (post offices, sorting centers, etc.)
• reducing staff (mostly by not filling open positions)
• reorganizing the areas covered by postal carrier routes* and ZIP Codes (to increase efficiency, and address facility closings and staffing reductions)
• changing mail delivery schedules and post office retail hours

The result of this postal reorganization has been higher quarterly ZIP Code and carrier route change rates, especially in the second half of 2009.  As an example, in the three month period between this Maponics ZIP Code data release and the last one in August, 12% of all Cook County, IL ZIP Codes have been changed**.  And since the February Maponics data release, 22% of these ZIP Codes have been changed.

The table below shows the % of ZIP Codes that have been changed since Maponics’ February ZIP Code data release for the five Cook County postal towns*** with the most ZIP codes.

What type of on-the-ground alterations cause ZIP Code data changes? Here are some announcements issued by the USPS that pertain specifically to Cook County postal reorganization:

• One major Chicago-area delivery infrastructure change still on the table is a consolidation of outgoing mail operations between the Palatine Processing and Distribution Center (in Cook County) and the Carol Stream Processing and Distribution Center (in Dupage County). This could affect as many as 600 ZIP Codes and 1-200 postal worker positions:
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0908.htm
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0610.htm

• The USPS has even been selling Chicago-based assets, in order to reduce recurring costs:
  http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/il/2009/il_2009_0827.htm

Most of the Chicago area ZIP Code data changes seen in the last quarter were the result of ZIP Code and carrier route delivery area reconfigurations. But the image above shows an example of ZIP coverage area change in Henry County, IL that is the result of a postal branch closure. In this case, the Ophiem, IL post office was closed, and the surrounding ZIP Codes (including 61413, pictured) were expanded to pick up the delivery area no longer served by the Ophiem post office.

It is expected that the U.S. Postal Service reorganization will continue well into 2010. In fact, there are currently 437 post offices still under evaluation for closure. This week, Maponics issued a press release discussing the record number of changes we’re seeing in our postal data.  You can read that announcement here, or learn more about our ZIP code data here.

Some definitions:

*   Carrier Route: the building block of a ZIP Code.  The U.S. Postal Services assigns the same carrier route code to a subgroup of addresses within a ZIP Code to aid in mail sorting and delivery.  Typically, a carrier route represents the geographical area to which an individual mail carrier delivers every day.

**   ZIP Code Change: the addition or deletion of a ZIP Code, or significant change to a ZIP Code’s delivery area (the addition or deletion of one or more carrier routes that make up a ZIP Code).

***   Postal Town Name: the town name the U.S. Postal Service associates with a given ZIP Code.

USPS Mail Route Changes Coming: Possibly the Most in US History

by Zephyr on January 21, 2009 at 2:40PM

This month the US Postal Service announced and began a massive reorganization of its mail delivery system.  Once complete, as many as 85 thousand carrier routes (the local areas covered by individual letter carriers each day) will be affected. Every postal district is expected to be touched, impacting an estimated 50 million individual addresses.

Why Is This Reorganization Necessary?

Mail volume has decreased. The number of pieces handled in fiscal year 2008 was down 4.5% from that handled in 2007. And mail volume has dropped even more dramatically since the Postal Service’s fiscal year ended on September 30th, as the global economic slowdown has taken greater effect. Driving this decrease are budget conscious businesses, which have been sending fewer mail pieces to better targeted groups. Longer-term, increased reliance on email has also depressed mail volume in recent years. The final result: over capacity in some areas, and delivery inefficiencies.

When Will It Be Complete?

A pledge of cooperation from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) union has ensured that this restructuring will be swift.  All on the ground changes are expected to be complete by the end of February 2009. Many carrier routes will be consolidated. The number of letter carriers, which has already been reduced through efforts to entice early retirement coupled with a hiring freeze, will continue to decline.

How Will This Impact Maponics Postal Data?

Licensees of Maponics carrier route boundaries and ZIP Code boundaries receive quarterly updates, to ensure them access to the most current and accurate data on the market. The early second quarter 1.9.2 release (in April 2009) of this postal data will include most of the wide-sweeping mail route changes outlined above.

Need Accurate Postal Map Data?

Maponics offers carrier route boundaries and ZIP Code boundaries for web-based integration or internal map and report generation.  Call 800.762.5158 for a quote, or to ask for a custom sample of your area.  Also available: compatible local neighborhood data.

Where USPS.com Refers for Current Postal Maps and Reports

The Maponics Online Store is the only place USPS.com refers to for postal maps and reports. If you have been relying on old maps and reports, this early spring will probably be the most important time in years to update. Refreshed monthly, ZIP Code maps, ZIP Code delivery count reports, carrier route maps, carrier route delivery count reports, and custom postal maps are all available from the Maponics Online Store.  Questions? Call Maponics at 800.762.5158.

Who Uses Maponics Data?

Maponics specializes in location-based data and information for businesses, including neighborhood, ZIP Code and carrier route boundaries.  Local search, real estate, mobile, social media and marketing firms rely on Maponics to power hyper-local interactive search, mapping, and ad targeting platforms, as well as internal mapping and reports, including D&B, infoUSA, Dominion Enterprises (eNeighborhoods and Homes.com), Pitney Bowes/MapInfo, Zvents, Smarter Agent, HelloMetro, Roost, CitySquares and many others. The Maponics Online Store, powered by Maponics data, is the only place USPS.com refers to for postal maps.  The Company is located in Norwich, Vermont and can be contacted at 800.762.5158 or by emailing info (at) maponics.com .