Quick answer
How do I get a proxy IP in a specific US ZIP code?
Add zip- and the five digits after the city: USERNAME-country-us-state-wa-city-seattle-zip-98101 asks MetroProxies for a residential IP in downtown Seattle. ZIP targeting is included on every plan from $0.50/GB (October 2026). A small ZIP has fewer homes online, so availability varies more than for a city. No KYC; crypto only.
How does the ZIP segment work?
| Segment | zip-{5 digits}, leading zeros kept (zip-02108) |
|---|---|
| Where | United States only |
| Best used with | the matching state- and city- segments |
| Price | Included; from $0.50/GB (October 2026) |
| Precision | Approximate: depends on each site's geolocation database |
| Availability | City availability varies; the checkout shows what is online |
What do ZIP requests look like in large cities?
| Area | Username |
|---|---|
| Downtown Seattle, WA | USERNAME-country-us-state-wa-city-seattle-zip-98101 |
| South of Market, San Francisco, CA | USERNAME-country-us-state-ca-city-san_francisco-zip-94103 |
| Midtown Atlanta, GA | USERNAME-country-us-state-ga-city-atlanta-zip-30309 |
| Downtown Austin, TX | USERNAME-country-us-state-tx-city-austin-zip-78701 |
| Downtown Denver, CO | USERNAME-country-us-state-co-city-denver-zip-80202 |
| Downtown Phoenix, AZ | USERNAME-country-us-state-az-city-phoenix-zip-85004 |
| Center City, Philadelphia, PA | USERNAME-country-us-state-pa-city-philadelphia-zip-19103 |
| Downtown Washington, D.C. | USERNAME-country-us-state-dc-city-washington-zip-20001 |
How precise is a ZIP-level IP?
Less precise than the five digits suggest. A ZIP code is a mail route, not a network boundary. Internet providers assign IP blocks to regional equipment that can serve several ZIP codes, and geolocation companies estimate locations from those blocks with their own methods. Two databases can place the same home IP in neighboring ZIP codes, or only at city level.
What holds up:
- The state is right in nearly every database.
- The city or metro is usually right for a city request.
- The ZIP matches in some databases and is a neighbor in others.
So use ZIP targeting to get closer to a neighborhood, then verify with the database your target uses. The geolocation accuracy guide explains the method.
How many ZIP codes does a city have?
Our city pages count ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), the Census Bureau's map of ZIP codes, that lie at least half inside city limits. Large cities have dozens: New York City, Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago each have more than 50, while most cities of 150,000 to 250,000 people have between 2 and 12 (median 6). A ZIP that straddles the city line can geolocate to the neighboring suburb, so prefer ZIP codes that sit well inside the city.
ZCTAs and USPS ZIP codes are close but not identical: post-office-box ZIPs and single-building ZIPs have no area, so they have no ZCTA. Those are poor proxy targets anyway, because few homes sit behind them.
What is ZIP targeting good for?
- Prices and delivery: grocery, pharmacy and big-box sites set prices, stock and delivery windows by store, which they pick from your ZIP. See local price checks.
- Local search: map results change across a city; a ZIP-level IP gets you closer to what a resident of one neighborhood sees.
- Ads: campaigns targeted by ZIP radius should show in the ZIPs you bought and not in the others. See ad checks by city.
- Your own site: test that the store locator and shipping estimate react to the right ZIP.
What else do people ask about ZIP targeting?
Does ZIP targeting cost extra?
No. ZIP targeting is part of every MetroProxies plan, from $1.50 for 1 GB (October 2026). On 18 October 2026, SOAX listed ZIP targeting only on its Scale ($1,500/month + VAT) and Enterprise plans.
Can I use a ZIP code without the city?
Yes: USERNAME-country-us-state-wa-zip-98101 works. Keeping the city segment is still safer, because it stops a typo in the ZIP from sending you to another state's code.
Can I keep the same ZIP-level IP for a while?
Yes. Add -session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}: USERNAME-country-us-state-co-city-denver-zip-80202-session-den1-ttl-15 keeps one IP for up to 15 minutes. up to 30 minutes, set per session with the ttl parameter; the IP can change earlier.
What if the ZIP has no IP online?
Retry later or widen to the city. Residential devices in one ZIP are a small group, and at some hours none may be online. City availability varies; the checkout shows what is online.
Sources (3)
- ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) — US Census Bureau (2026-10-18)
- 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file — US Census Bureau (2026-10-18)
- Pricing soax.com/pricing — SOAX (2026-10-18)