How Do You Select Routes for an EDDM Campaign?

How Do You Select EDDM Routes? Quick Answer

You select EDDM routes using the USPS EDDM Online Tool at eddm.usps.com, or through a full-service EDDM provider's route selection interface. You browse available carrier routes by ZIP code, view demographic data (median income, average household size, age range), and select the routes that match your target audience.

Step-by-Step: Selecting EDDM Routes

1. Enter your target ZIP codes — Start with your business address or the geographic area you want to reach. The mapping tool shows all available carrier routes within that ZIP code.
2. Review route demographics — Each route shows its total delivery count (typically 300–600 households), median household income, average household size, and age breakdown. Use these to prioritize routes that match your customer profile.
3. Select individual routes or the full ZIP — You can select individual routes for precision, or select all routes in a ZIP code for saturation coverage. There's no limit to how many routes you can select, but minimum total quantity is 200 pieces.
4. Check household count — The total quantity of pieces you need equals the number of delivery points on your selected routes. This determines your print quantity and cost.
5. Filter residential vs. all addresses — USPS lets you filter routes to deliver only to residential addresses (excluding businesses) or to all delivery points.
6. Submit your route selection — With Full Service, finalize routes when placing your order and your provider handles the rest.

Using Demographics to Select Routes

Your Business	Best Route Selection Criteria
Roofing / Landscaping	Older neighborhoods (homes built before 1995), homeowner-heavy routes
Luxury real estate	Routes with median household income $100K+
Family restaurant / childcare	Routes with high average household size (3.5+) and families with children
Senior healthcare / Medicare	Routes with median age 55+
Gym / fitness studio	Routes with younger median age (25–44), proximity to your location
Restaurant delivery	All routes within 3–5 mile delivery radius, regardless of demographics

How Many Routes Should You Select?

• Targeted test campaign — 3–5 routes (1,500–3,000 pieces). Good for testing a message or offer before scaling.
• Neighborhood saturation — 10–20 routes covering a 1–3 mile radius (5,000–12,000 pieces). Ideal for restaurants, gyms, local retail.
• City-wide blanketing — 50–200+ routes across an entire city or metro area. Used by large home service companies, franchise locations, and political campaigns.

Route Selection Tips from Experienced Mailers

• Prioritize proximity. Routes closest to your location typically yield the best response rates — people prefer local businesses.
• Skip routes with low homeownership. If your product is home-improvement-focused, routes with high renter populations are less qualified leads.
• Note route delivery days. USPS delivers to each route on specific days of the week. Your print provider can confirm delivery day targeting if timing matters for your campaign.
• Track by route. Use unique phone numbers or QR codes per route cluster to measure which neighborhoods respond best, then optimize future mailings.

Start selecting routes for your EDDM campaign →  |  Calculate cost by route count →

Route Selection Mistakes That Hurt EDDM Results

Even well-designed campaigns underperform when route selection is poor. The most common route selection mistakes: selecting routes that are too far from your location (response rates drop sharply beyond 5 miles for most local businesses); choosing routes based on ZIP code alone without checking the actual carrier route boundaries; and selecting the maximum number of routes for budget reasons without testing a smaller area first. Start with your closest 5–10 routes, measure response, and expand to proven areas before scaling volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I target specific streets with EDDM?

No — EDDM targets full carrier routes, not individual streets. Routes are pre-defined USPS delivery areas covering 300–600 addresses each. For street-level targeting, you'd need a traditional targeted mailing list.

How do I know how many households are on a route?

The USPS EDDM online tool displays the exact delivery count for each route. Your total print quantity equals the sum of delivery counts across your selected routes.

Can I exclude certain addresses on a route?

No. EDDM delivers to every address on a selected route — you cannot exclude individual addresses. This is a fundamental feature of the EDDM program and why it qualifies for the flat postage rate.

How far in advance do I need to select routes?

With Full Service, you select routes when placing your order. Production takes 3–7 business days; USPS delivery adds 3–7 more days. Plan for 7–14 business days total from order to in-home delivery.

Can I use EDDM to target multiple ZIP codes?

Yes — you can select routes across as many ZIP codes as you want in a single campaign. Full Service providers handle the logistics of delivering to each destination post office.

Does USPS show demographic data for each route?

Yes — the USPS EDDM tool shows Census-derived demographic data including median household income, average household size, and age breakdown for each carrier route. This helps you prioritize routes that best match your customer profile without needing to purchase a separate demographic list.