How to Write a Pennsylvania Address (With Examples)

Address basics  |   |  2 min read

Here is how to write a mailing address in Pennsylvania, with examples from Harrisburg and Philadelphia and the most common mistakes to avoid.

The standard format

RECIPIENT NAME STREET NUMBER AND NAME, UNIT CITY, PA ZIP CODE

The state is always written as PA, two capital letters with no periods. USPS prefers the city, state and ZIP on the same final line.

Example: Harrisburg

Grace Garcia 4322 Market Ln Harrisburg, PA 17102

Example with an apartment in Philadelphia

Carlos Nguyen 162 Forest Dr Apt 28 Philadelphia, PA 19145

Example with a PO Box

Elizabeth Patel PO Box 9953 Harrisburg, PA 17111

PO Boxes often have their own ZIP code, separate from street addresses in the same town. Check the ZIP with the post office that holds the box.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up PA with PR (Puerto Rico). These codes look similar and cause misrouted mail.
  • Writing the full state name or an old abbreviation instead of PA.
  • Putting the apartment number on a line below the street address.
  • Using a ZIP code from a neighboring city. One city can have many codes, but each street belongs to a specific one.

Counties and local details

Pennsylvania is divided into 68 counties. The county does not appear in a mailing address, but it matters for sales tax, elections and some shipping rules, so many business systems store it separately.

Create realistic Pennsylvania addresses for testing, with real cities, counties and ZIP codes.

Generate Pennsylvania addresses