FAQ: county lookup, ZIP codes and privacy
Everything people ask about finding their county, answered in plain English.
Updated · Data: U.S. Census Bureau
FAQ
All questions
What county am I in right now?
Press Use my current location above. Your device gives the page your position and the page finds the county that contains it.
How accurate is the location lookup?
County lines are kept to about 55 m, and GPS-enabled phones are typically accurate to about 4.9 m (16 ft) under open sky, worse indoors (GPS.gov). Within 500 m of a county line we warn you and name the other county.
Which county am I in if I'm near a county line?
The result tells you how far you are from the line and names the county on the other side. Confirm with your appraisal district or voter registration.
Can a ZIP code be in more than one county?
Yes. 9,721 of the 33,050 ZIP code areas with residents cross a county line. The ZIP tab shows every county a ZIP touches.
What county do I live in?
Use your location at home, or type your city or ZIP code. Near a county line, confirm with your appraisal district or voter registration.
Is my location stored or sent anywhere?
No. The check runs in your browser against county-line files it downloads. Your coordinates, searches and results never reach our server.
Does it work outside the United States?
No. It covers the 50 states and Washington, DC.
Why is my county different from my city?
Cities and counties are separate governments, and 639 US places with 1,000+ people span more than one county.
Is this tool free?
Yes. No signup, no account, no limits.
Where does the data come from?
U.S. Census Bureau files (TIGER/Line 2024, American Community Survey, ZCTA relationship file) and Wikidata for county seats. See methodology.
How often is the data updated?
When the Census Bureau publishes new files: county lines yearly, ACS estimates yearly in December.
I think a result is wrong. What should I do?
Tell us on the contact page with the place and what you expected. We check every report.
Can I search by street address?
Use the address lookup: your location at the address or a dropped pin, so the address is never sent anywhere.
Can I reuse your data?
The underlying data is public domain (Census) and CC0 (Wikidata). Our Texas FIPS CSV is free to reuse.
Free · No signup · Private
Find your county now
Use your location, a city or a ZIP code. The check runs on your device; your location is never sent or stored.