State & county FIPS Codes lookup by address, city & ZIP Code
Find county FIPS Codes
FIPS Codes are numeric identifiers used to designate geographic regions like countries, states, and counties. FIPS Codes facilitate interoperability across government agencies, contractors, and technical communities. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) (opens in new tab) manages Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) Codes.
County FIPS Codes are unique 5-digit identifiers that represent specific US counties. The first two digits represent the county's state, and the last three digits represent the county. For example, "49017" is the FIPS Code for Garfield County, Utah. "49" represents Utah, and "017" represents Garfield County.
Need to find the county name or FIPS Code for an address, city, state, or ZIP Code? Try one of our free tools:
| Turn an address into a county name and FIPS Code | Turn a city and state or ZIP Code into county names and FIPS Codes | Find county FIPS Codes for a large set of addresses | Find county FIPS for addresses in an Excel or CSV file |
|---|---|---|---|
In this article, we’ll show you how to look up FIPS county Codes by ZIP Code and by city and state. However, county FIPS Code lookups are usually more complicated than simply searching by city or ZIP Code, so we’ll also walk you through FIPS Code lookups using street addresses.
Table of contents:
- County FIPS Code lookup by address
- Video tutorial for county FIPS Code lookup by address
- Lookup county FIPS by ZIP Code or city
- Are FIPS Codes the same as ZIP Codes?
- Complete US state FIPS Code list
- How to read a county FIPS Code
County FIPS Code lookup by address
You can find FIPS Codes with a ZIP Code, city, or address. However, because ZIP Codes and cities cover large areas, a ZIP Code or city lookup may yield several FIPS Codes. That makes using an address the most reliable way to get precise FIPS Codes. For more details, check out the next section: FIPS Code lookup by ZIP Code and city.
To look up a FIPS with an address, simply enter the address where you need the FIPS county code in the county FIPS Code lookup tool at the top of this page. You can do this in a single line (“SINGLE FIELD” option) or separate address parts (“MULTIPLE FIELDS” tab).
As you type, our autocomplete tool will suggest verified addresses. Click on one of the populated options, and the county and FIPS county code for the address will be displayed immediately below the lookup tool. It’ll look like this:
Video tutorial for county FIPS Code lookup by address
FIPS code lookup by ZIP Code and city
ZIP Codes and cities often cross one or more county lines. A particular ZIP Code or city may yield up to 5 correct FIPS Codes. Still, there are some use cases for finding FIPS Codes for cities or ZIP Codes, so let's dive in a bit deeper.
Limitations with FIPS Code lookup by city
Leeds, Alabama is an example of these limitations. Leeds sits at the intersection of three counties and is served by a single ZIP Code: 35094.
Suppose that you're an insurance salesperson, and you have a customer who you know lives in Leeds. Unfortunately, you don't have their exact address. You need to know their county and FIPS Code to show them the health insurance plan you can offer. Even though you know their approximate location, you still don't know their county.
Your customer could reside in Saint Clair County (FIPS Code 01115), Jefferson County (FIPS Code 01073), or Shelby County (FIPS Code 01117). The only way to know for sure is to get their address.
Leeds isn't unique. Hundreds of cities are split by county lines.
In fact, there are cities in the US that are split by up to five counties. This happens in highly populated areas as well as suburban and rural areas.
Here are a few examples of cities split by counties:
- New York, New York, with a population of 8.4 million, is unsurprisingly shared by 5 counties.
- Aurora, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago with a population of 200,000, is divided into three counties.
- Allentown, Georgia, is split into four counties despite having a population of only 158.
In the US, 37 states have cities that are spread across multiple counties. Currently:
2 cities are split into five counties
10 cities are split into four counties
61 cities are split into three counties
611 cities are split into two counties
In total, there are at least 684 cities across 37 states (opens in new tab) that cross county lines, meaning you can't enter one city and expect only one FIPS Code to be returned.
Limitations with County FIPS Code lookup by ZIP Code
ZIP Codes often cross county lines. This results in multiple valid FIPS Codes for a single ZIP Code.
Rather than regions or boxes with defined boundaries, ZIP Codes are lines that designate a collection of postal delivery routes tied to a post office. ZIP Codes may be based on sparse delivery routes, so the boundary between ZIP Code areas can be indefinite. They may look like this:
Postal delivery routes are determined by optimal efficiency. County lines are rarely considered when determining where USPS mail trucks go. As a result, as many as 20% of postal codes cross one or more county lines.
If you enter 38583 into our address validation tool, you will find that the ZIP Code spans five counties. ZIP Codes don't only cross county lines. During the 2010 census, at least 103 ZIP Codes crossed state lines (opens in new tab).
FIPS Code lookup by ZIP Code and city tutorial
Regardless of the limitations of looking up FIPS Codes by ZIP Code or city, you may still need to know all the counties in a particular city or ZIP Code. Here's how:
- Scroll to the FIPS Code lookup tool at the top of the page.
- Click on the “MULTIPLE FIELDS” tab or the “CITY/STATE OR ZIP” tab.
- Enter the ZIP Code OR city and state. For this example, we’ll use Leeds, Alabama.
- Click "View Results"
- Your results will appear. (Note that this example shows more than one FIPS Code for the city of Leeds. If you need more specific results, use an address in Leeds instead of the entire city.)
Are FIPS Codes the same as ZIP Codes?
ZIP Codes and county FIPS Codes look similar at first glance. They're both five characters long and composed of numbers, but that's where the similarities end.
ZIP Codes are collections of mail delivery routes that the USPS uses to organize and expedite mail delivery.
County FIPS Codes, on the other hand, are five-digit numbers used to designate specific counties. A county will always be assigned a single FIPS code, but the county may contain dozens of ZIP Codes.
The FIPS Code for Orange County, California is 06059. That's the one and only FIPS Code for the county. Inside Orange County, you'll find well over a hundred ZIP Codes, such as 92861, 92862, 92863, 92864, and 92865.
In the US, there are currently 3241 counties and 3241 FIPS Codes to match. FIPS Codes don't change often. The last time a new County FIPS Code was added to the list was in 2001. Conversely, 41,000+ ZIP Codes are updated regularly based on the needs of the USPS.
There are many reasons for wanting to determine the county of a particular address, including:
- Proper assignment of voting districts
- Correct calculation of sales tax
- Demographic profiling using MSA (CBSA) analysis
- Regulatory compliance, such as medical or insurance-related compliance
Complete state FIPS Codes list plus territories
Each state in the United States has been assigned a two-digit State FIPS Code. Numbers are assigned alphabetically in ascending order. You may notice that in the US States FIPS Code, some numbers are skipped. This was done in the 80s to allow for the inclusion of new states into the US FIPS Code system while maintaining the alphabetic and numeric ordering.
For example, you will notice that no state is currently assigned the FIPS Code of "03." This is to leave room for American Samoa should it move from a US protectorate to a US State. There are similar spaces for Guam (14), Puerto Rico (43), and the Virgin Islands (52).
Here is a list of the FIPS Codes for all 50 states, protectorates, and federal districts.
| State / Territory / Outlying Area | Alpha Code | US State FIPS Code | Status | Region | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | 01 | State, Counties | 3 | 6 |
| Alaska | AK | 02 | State, Boroughs | 4 | 9 |
| Arizona | AZ | 04 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| Arkansas | AR | 05 | State, Counties | 3 | 7 |
| California | CA | 06 | State, Counties | 4 | 9 |
| Colorado | CO | 08 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| Connecticut | CT | 09 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| Delaware | DE | 10 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | DC | 11 | Federal district | 3 | 5 |
| Florida | FL | 12 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| Georgia | GA | 13 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| Hawaii | HI | 15 | State, Counties | 4 | 9 |
| Idaho | ID | 16 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| Illinois | IL | 17 | State, Counties | 2 | 3 |
| Indiana | IN | 18 | State, Counties | 2 | 3 |
| Iowa | IA | 19 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Kansas | KS | 20 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Kentucky | KY | 21 | State, Counties | 3 | 6 |
| Louisiana | LA | 22 | State, Parishes | 3 | 7 |
| Maine | ME | 23 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| Maryland | MD | 24 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| Massachusetts | MA | 25 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | MI | 26 | State, Counties | 2 | 3 |
| Minnesota | MN | 27 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Mississippi | MS | 28 | State, Counties | 3 | 6 |
| Missouri | MO | 29 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Montana | MT | 30 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| Nebraska | NE | 31 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Nevada | NV | 32 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| New Hampshire | NH | 33 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| New Jersey | NJ | 34 | State, Counties | 1 | 2 |
| New Mexico | NM | 35 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| New York | NY | 36 | State, Counties | 1 | 2 |
| North Carolina | NC | 37 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| North Dakota | ND | 38 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Ohio | OH | 39 | State, Counties | 2 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | OK | 40 | State, Counties | 3 | 7 |
| Oregon | OR | 41 | State, Counties | 4 | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | PA | 42 | State, Counties | 1 | 2 |
| Rhode Island | RI | 44 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| South Carolina | SC | 45 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| South Dakota | SD | 46 | State, Counties | 2 | 4 |
| Tennessee | TN | 47 | State, Counties | 3 | 6 |
| Texas | TX | 48 | State, Counties | 3 | 7 |
| Utah | UT | 49 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| Vermont | VT | 50 | State, Counties | 1 | 1 |
| Virginia | VA | 51 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| Washington | WA | 53 | State, Counties | 4 | 9 |
| West Virginia | WV | 54 | State, Counties | 3 | 5 |
| Wisconsin | WI | 55 | State, Counties | 2 | 3 |
| Wyoming | WY | 56 | State, Counties | 4 | 8 |
| American Samoa | AS | 60 | Outlying area under US sovereignty | ||
| Federated States of Micronesia | FM | 64 | Freely Associated State | ||
| Guam | GU | 66 | Outlying area under US sovereignty | ||
| Johnston Atoll | JA | 67 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Marshall Islands | MH | 68 | Freely Associated State | ||
| Northern Mariana Islands | MP | 69 | Outlying area under US sovereignty | ||
| Palau | PW | 70 | Freely Associated State | ||
| Midway Islands | MI | 71 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Puerto Rico | PR | 72 | Outlying area under US sovereignty | ||
| U.S. Minor Outlying Islands | UM | 74 | Minor outlying island territories (aggregated) | ||
| Navassa Island | NI | 76 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Virgin Islands of the US | VI | 78 | Outlying area under US sovereignty | ||
| Wake Island | WI | 79 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Baker Island | BI | 81 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Howland Island | HI | 84 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Jarvis Island | JI | 86 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Kingman Reef | KR | 89 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
| Palmyra Atoll | PA | 95 | Minor outlying island territory | ||
More information about State FIPS Codes is found at census.gov (opens in new tab).
How to read a county FIPS Code
The first two digits in the five-digit county FIPS Code represent the state in which the county is located. For example, the FIPS Code for the state of Utah is "49," so every FIPS Code in Utah will begin with "49." The next 3 digits of a 5-digit county FIPS Code represent the county. The code for Garfield County, Utah is "017." So, the full five-digit county FIPS code is "49017."
FIPS codes are assigned in alphabetic order to counties, counting by odd numbers. The first county in a state alphabetically is always 001, the second county is always 003, the third is 005, and so on.
This method leaves a space between each county for the insertion of renamed or newly created counties while preserving the alphabetic ordering.
Conclusion
Smarty’s address verification tools can add FIPS Codes and county information to your address data. Start getting FIPS Codes using our single address verification tool, address verification API, or bulk address upload. Still have questions? Get in touch with a living, breathing address expert!
FAQ
How do I find the FIPS Code for an address?
You can find the county FIPS code for one address using a single address lookup tool, for thousands of addresses using an address validation API, or a whole spreadsheet of addresses using Bulk Address Validation.
Can you provide a list of state FIPS Codes?
Yes! Here’s a list of FIPS Codes for all 50 states, protectorates, and federal districts.
Are FIPS Codes ZIP Codes?
No. FIPS Codes are managed by ANSI and are used by government agencies, contractors, and technical communities to identify counties, states, and countries. ZIP Codes are managed and used by the USPS to identify groups of postal delivery routes associated with a specific post office.
How do I determine a FIPS code?
You can determine a county FIPS Code by entering an address, city and state, or ZIP Code into Smarty’s county FIPS Codes lookup tool.
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