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ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The codes went live on July 1, 1963.The lowest ZIP code is 00501 — the IRS in Holtsville, New York.The highest ZIP code is 99950, in Ketchikan, Alaska.Type 07734 into a calculator and turn it upside down: hELLO. It is Keansburg, New Jersey.12345 belongs to one company: General Electric in Schenectady, New York.The first digit is a region: 0 is New England and New Jersey, 9 is the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii.Mr. ZIP, the cartoon mailman, was the mascot that sold the idea to America.ZIP+4 arrived in 1983 and can narrow a ZIP down to one side of one block.A ZIP code is a mail route, not a place: plenty of them cross county and even state lines.Play ZIP Hunt: guess the secret ZIP code of the day in six tries.
zipcodes.pro — ZIP/85281

85281

ZIP 85281 is in Tempe, Arizona, in Maricopa County; area codes 480, 602 and 623; Mountain Standard Time all year. Tempe has 8 ZIP codes in all.

Type
Standard
Time zone
America/Phoenix
County
Maricopa
Population
72,762
Coordinates
33.4274, -111.9340
☼ Live from 85281 — Tempe, AZ

Weather right now

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Local time: —

Where 85281 is

Approximate ZIP boundary (Census ZCTA 2020). ZIP codes are mail routes, not areas, so the shape shown is the Census tabulation area that approximates it.

★ Weird and wonderful facts about 85281
  • 🔢 Type 85281 into a pocket calculator and turn it upside down: IBZSB — not quite a word, sorry.
  • ➕ As a number, 85,281 = 3 × 7 × 31 × 131. Its digits add up to 24, a total 2,425 other ZIP codes share.
  • 💾In binary, the way a computer stores it: 10100110100100001
  • 🏠 Its numerical neighbours: 85280 (Tempe, AZ, 2 mi away) and 85282 (Tempe, AZ, 2 mi away).
  • 🔄 Backwards, 85281 becomes 18258, which is not a ZIP code at all.
  • 👥 15 other ZIP codes are made of exactly the same digits (12588, 12858, 12885, 15828, 18825, 25818, …). The farthest-flung twin is 12858 in Paradox, NY, 2,163 miles away.
  • 🧭 Farther south than 83% of all ZIP codes, and farther west than 87%.
  • 🎯861 miles southwest of the geographic center of the Lower 48, near Lebanon, Kansas.
  • 🌏 Dig straight through the Earth from 85281 and you would come out at 33.43°S, 68.07°E — 1,106 miles from Port-aux-Français, French Southern Territories, the nearest big city to that spot.
  • ☀Longest day of the year: 14h 22m of daylight. Shortest: 9h 56m.
  • 📏 At 13.3 square miles of land, 85281 is bigger than 31% of ZIP codes — room for about 10 Central Parks.
🌙 The sky over 85281 today
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🌋 Shake report
  • Checking the USGS…

Source: USGS.

People and housing

Population72,762This ZIP72,762
Households29,307This ZIP29,307
Housing units33,978This ZIP33,978
Median age25.4This ZIP25.4Arizona39.0US 38.9
Median household income$64,538This ZIP$64,538Arizona$79,964US $80,734
Median home value$381,000This ZIP$381,000Arizona$394,500US $332,700
Median gross rent$1,677This ZIP$1,677Arizona$1,543US $1,413
Bachelor's degree or higher50.1%This ZIP50.1%
Mean commute21.1 minThis ZIP21.1 min
Population density5,467.5 / sq miThis ZIP5,467.5 / sq mi

Business and tax activity

Business establishments2,295This ZIP2,295
Employees95,380This ZIP95,380
Annual payroll$7,108,395,000This ZIP$7,108,395,000
Tax returns filed16,050This ZIP16,050
Total adjusted gross income$923,712,000This ZIP$923,712,000

Land area

Land area13.31 sq miThis ZIP13.31 sq mi
Water area0.06 sq miThis ZIP0.06 sq mi

Other place names in 85281

Census places whose land this ZIP code overlaps. The Postal Service may accept other city names in an address, too.

ZIP codes near 85281

ZIPCityDistance
85287 Tempe, AZ 0.1 mi
85288 Tempe, AZ 1.2 mi
85285 Tempe, AZ 1.7 mi
85280 Tempe, AZ 1.8 mi
85282 Tempe, AZ 2.3 mi
85026 Phoenix, AZ 2.7 mi
85257 Scottsdale, AZ 2.7 mi
85008 Phoenix, AZ 4.0 mi
85283 Tempe, AZ 4.3 mi
85034 Phoenix, AZ 4.7 mi

Find every ZIP code within 10 miles of 85281 →

Questions about this ZIP code

Where is ZIP code 85281?

85281 is in Tempe, Arizona, in Maricopa County, part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metropolitan area. Its published point location is 33.4274, -111.9340.

What county is 85281 in?

85281 lies in Maricopa County.

What area code is 85281?

Tempe uses area codes 480, 602 and 623, from NANPA's telephone records.

What time zone is 85281 in?

85281 uses America/Phoenix.

How many people live in 85281?

About 72,762 people live in ZIP code 85281, in 29,307 households, at 5,467.5 people per square mile. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area, not a headcount.

What is the median household income in 85281?

$64,538 a year, against $79,964 across Arizona.

What ZIP codes are near 85281?

The closest are 85287 (0.1 mi), 85288 (1.2 mi), 85285 (1.7 mi), 85280 (1.8 mi) and 85282 (2.3 mi).

Is 85281 a PO Box ZIP code?

85281 is a standard ZIP code. A normal ZIP code with street delivery.

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Cite this page

zipcodes.pro. “85281 ZIP Code — Tempe, Arizona (Maricopa County).” Data release 2026-10-12. Retrieved 2026-10-20. https://zipcodes.pro/zip/85281

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