What is the best column type for a United States ZIP code?

Question

I want to store Zip Code (within United States) in MySQL database. Saving space is a priority. which is better option using VARCHAR - limited

Answer 1

Zip codes are always 5 characters, hence you would need a CHAR datatype, rather than VARCHAR.

Your options are therefore

CHAR(5)

MEDIUMINT (5) UNSIGNED ZEROFILL

The first takes 5 bytes per zip code.

The second takes only 3 bytes per zip code. The ZEROFILL option is necessary for zip codes with leading zeros.

So, if space is your priority, use the MEDIUMINT.