How Does EDDM Work

Step 2 of 7

How to Choose EDDM Routes in the USPS Mapping Tool

EDDM routes are mail carrier routes. You choose them in the EDDM Online Tool, a free mapping tool on usps.com, and every active address on each route you pick gets your mailpiece. You can filter routes by home and business counts and by Census data on age, income and household size, but you always select whole routes.

Last checked against USPS: November 6, 2026

What a carrier route is

A carrier route is the group of addresses one mail carrier delivers to. Route sizes vary a lot, and the online tool shows the exact count for each one. Routes are how USPS already organizes delivery, which is why EDDM can skip mailing lists. Your carrier simply puts one piece in every mailbox on the route.

Two things follow from that:

  • You get the whole route. The tool doesn't let EDDM Retail users add part of a route. If you add it, every active address on it is included.
  • Route lines don't follow neighborhood lines. One route can cross a subdivision boundary or cover both sides of a main road. Look at the map, not just the numbers.

Using the EDDM Online Tool, step by step

EDDM Online Tool (simplified sketch)ZIP Code, city and state, or addressShow TableC001C002C003C004C005Order Summary3 routes selected1,284 piecesPostage $333.84Continue✓RouteResidentialBusinessTotalAgeSizeIncomeCostC0013981441235-443$75k-$100k$107.12C0024401545545-543$100k-$125k$118.30C0034051241735-444$75k-$100k$108.42
A simplified sketch with made-up routes and numbers. The real USPS tool looks different, but it has the same parts: search, map, route table and order summary.
  1. Sign in to usps.com and open the EDDM Online Tool. EDDM Retail orders use a regular USPS.com account.
  2. Search for your area. Enter a ZIP Code, a city and state or a full address. The map shows the carrier routes around it.
  3. Click Show Table. This opens the route table with the details for each route.
  4. Filter the routes. Narrow the list using the columns at the top (more on these below).
  5. Select your routes. Tick the routes you want. You can select several for one mailing.
  6. Review the Order Summary. It totals your pieces and postage. You can save the order and come back to it, or continue to checkout.

If the tool won't load for your ZIP Code, USPS says you can print and fill out PS Form 3587 by hand and take it to your Post Office with your mailing.

Reading the route table

The table has one row per route. The columns that matter most:

  • Route: the route's ID. The ZIP Code and route number go on your facing slips later.
  • Residential: how many homes are on the route.
  • Business: how many business addresses are on the route.
  • Total: residential plus business. This is how many pieces the route takes if you mail everyone.
  • Age, Size and Income: Census-based figures for the route, such as the typical age range, household size and household income.
  • Cost: the postage for that route at the current price.

Residential only or everyone

The tool lets you choose a residential-only delivery type, which counts only homes. Your pieces are then addressed to "Residential Customer" instead of "Postal Customer". For most consumer offers like takeout, home services and real estate, residential only cuts the piece count and the cost without losing anyone you want to reach. If businesses are your customers, use the total count instead.

Targeting with the demographic filters

The age, income and household size filters come from U.S. Census data, and they describe each route as a whole. A route with a high median income still includes every home on it, high and low. So the filters help you choose better routes, but they can't remove individual homes.

Some practical ways to use them:

  • Home services and remodeling: favor routes with higher incomes and larger households.
  • Family offers like tutoring, kids' activities or pizza deals: favor larger household sizes.
  • Senior-focused services: favor routes skewing older.

Then check the map. Routes that look good on paper but sit across a highway from your service area are usually a waste.

How many routes to pick

Three limits decide this:

  1. Your budget. Each route's piece count times $0.26 is its postage, plus printing. Use the calculator
  2. The EDDM Retail limit. You can mail up to 5,000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code. For more than that in one ZIP Code, split the mailing over several days.
  3. The minimum. An EDDM Retail mailing must be at least 200 pieces. If a whole ZIP Code has fewer than 200 deliverable addresses and you're mailing all of them, it can be fewer.

Many small businesses start with a few routes nearest their location or their best customers, then add routes once they see what comes back.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming the filters exclude homes. They describe the route, not each address.
  • Choosing routes in ZIP Codes served by different Post Offices without planning the drop-offs. Each ZIP Code's mail goes to the Post Office the order summary names.
  • Forgetting the business count. If you want homes only, pick residential only, or you'll pay to mail office buildings.
  • Ignoring the map. Route numbers mean nothing until you see where the route actually runs.