zipexplore-mcp

US ZIP code intelligence: demographics, weather, tax, crime, housing, voting, and more.

CommunityOnlineAPI key requiredGlobalFreeRead-only

What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    An API key from the service settings is required

    US ZIP code intelligence: demographics, weather, tax, crime, housing, voting, and more.

    How to connect

    How to connect zipexplore-mcp to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://mcp.zipexplore.com/mcp

    1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
    2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
    3. Click Add custom connector.
    4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
    5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

    Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

    Authorization

    After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

    How to connect zipexplore-mcp to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://mcp.zipexplore.com/mcp

    1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
    2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
    3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
    4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
    5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
    6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

    OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

    Authorization

    On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

    How to connect zipexplore-mcp to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://mcp.zipexplore.com/mcp

    Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

    Manually:

    1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
    2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
    3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

    Authorization

    If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

    Server tool list (22)

    Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

    get_articleReturns the full prose of a specific ZipExplore research article. Use this for editing, fact-checking, detailed analysis, or when get_research summaries aren't enough. Valid slugs: disappearing-towns, hazard-premium, snap-economy, wealthy-retirees. Each article includes all body sections and methodology notes exactly as published.
    pingReturns server status and tool/resource counts. Use this to verify the ZipExplore MCP connection is live.
    get_methodologyReturns ZipExplore's data interpretation guide: reasoning guardrails (associations vs. causes, small-ZIP noise, averages hiding distributions, editorial score weights, drawing conclusions about people from geographic data), quality flag definitions, known data limitations, coverage gap explanations, and per-domain vintage summary. Call this when you have questions about data quality, what a quality_flag code means, why a ZIP has no data, or how to reason carefully about scores and correlations.
    get_researchReturns ZipExplore's published research articles — original data findings on topics including disaster risk vs. housing costs (the Hazard Premium), food insecurity in fully-employed communities (SNAP economy), economically declining towns vs. retirement communities, and income variation among America's oldest ZIP codes. Each entry includes the key finding, specific quantitative results, caveats, and a URL to the full article. Call this when a user asks about these topics or when published findings would add context to a live data lookup.
    search_zipsFind ZIP codes matching one or more criteria. Returns a ranked list with scores. Use this first when the user wants recommendations (e.g. "find a low-crime suburb near Denver"). Call get_search_fields first if you're unsure what field names to use. criteria: list of {"field": str, "level": "low"|"medium"|"high"} area_types: "CITY" | "SUBURB" | "SMALL_TOWN" | "RURAL" regions: "northeast" | "southeast" | "midwest" | "southwest" | "west"
    get_zip_profileFull location profile for one ZIP code across all 12 data domains: demographics, climate, tax, crime, cost of living, voting, education, healthcare, business, air quality, disaster risk, and transit. Use this to get detail on a ZIP after search, or when the user asks about a specific ZIP. For deeper data on one domain, use the domain-specific tools.
    compare_zipsSide-by-side full profiles for 2–5 ZIP codes. Use when the user has finalists and needs to choose between them. Returns the same profile shape as get_zip_profile for each ZIP.
    get_search_fieldsLists every field name, type, and description available for search criteria. Call this when you're unsure what field names to pass to search_zips, or when the user asks what data ZipExplore has.
    get_census_profileDetailed Census / demographics data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's demographics section isn't sufficient depth. Includes population, housing, income distribution, education attainment, economic indicators, internet access, and public assistance rates.
    reverse_geocodeConvert a latitude/longitude coordinate to a ZIP code. Use when the user provides an address or map coordinates rather than a ZIP code.
    get_zip_centroidsGet the latitude/longitude centroid for one or more ZIP codes (max 200). Use when you need map coordinates for a set of ZIPs.
    get_weather_profileDetailed climate data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's climate section isn't sufficient depth. Includes annual/monthly temperature averages, precipitation, humidity, and nearest weather station info.
    get_tax_profileDetailed tax data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's tax section isn't sufficient depth. Includes state income tax, sales tax, property tax effective rates, excise taxes, and IRS income statistics.
    get_crime_profileDetailed crime data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's crime section isn't sufficient depth. Includes violent crime rate, property crime rate, and data quality flags (coverage level, Bayesian shrinkage).
    get_cost_profileDetailed cost of living data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's cost section isn't sufficient depth. Includes fair market rents, housing cost burden, regional price indices, and affordability metrics.
    get_voting_profileDetailed voting and political data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's voting section isn't sufficient depth. Includes presidential election results, partisan lean, congressional and state legislative districts, and state officials.
    get_education_profileDetailed school data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's education section isn't sufficient depth. Includes school counts, student-teacher ratios, graduation rates, per-pupil spending, Title I percentage, and budget breakdown (instruction vs. admin vs. capital). May reflect data from the nearest ZIP if no schools are in this ZIP.
    get_healthcare_profileDetailed healthcare data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's healthcare section isn't sufficient depth. Includes hospital count and ratings, nursing homes, beds per capita, primary care and mental health shortage area designations, pharmacy count, and urgent care count.
    get_business_profileDetailed business and employment data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's business section isn't sufficient depth. Includes top industries, sector breakdowns, total establishments, employment, and annual payroll from Census BDS/CBP data.
    get_air_quality_profileDetailed air quality data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's air quality section isn't sufficient depth. Includes EPA AQS pollutant levels (PM2.5, PM10, ozone, NO2, SO2, CO) and AQI summary.
    get_disaster_risk_profileDetailed natural disaster risk data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's disaster risk section isn't sufficient depth. Includes FEMA NRI overall risk score, individual hazard scores (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire, flood, etc.), and expected annual loss estimates.
    get_transit_profileDetailed public transit data for one ZIP code. Use when get_zip_profile's transit section isn't sufficient depth. Includes bus stop count, subway station count, rail station count, light rail count, ferry terminal count, total transit stops, transit commute percentage, and nearest subway/rail distances.