Should You Put Your Address on Your Resume?

Including an address on your resume used to be a standard requirement because employers would reach out to applicants via physical mail. Today, however, most employers handle hiring communication digitally, so they don’t need to know your full postal address.

For most job applications, listing your city and state is enough. Including this information helps your application pass the ATS filters that some employers use to filter out applicants who would need to relocate to take the job.

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Reasons not to include your address on a resume

As stated above, it’s not recommended to list your full address on your resume. Here’s why:

Listing an address is an outdated practice

Today, very few people use physical mail as their primary method of communication, especially in professional situations.

In most instances, employers only need your email, cellphone number, or LinkedIn to contact you. Simply put, basic technology makes listing your address on a resume unnecessary.

Including your address creates unnecessary risk

If you’re applying for your job through a third party, like a job board, you can’t be sure who’ll have access to the information you list on your resume.

In this situation, it’s perfectly acceptable to remove your address from your resume to protect your privacy.

Distance bias

If a company is looking to hire locally, including a non-local address might dissuade the hiring manager from considering you for the job.

Even if you’re applying for a job that’s fully remote, employers may think twice about hiring you because you live in a different timezone from the company location. If this is the case, it’s better to leave your address off of your resume.

Location bias

If you live in a certain city or neighborhood that some people consider to be undesirable, you may want to avoid listing your address on your resume to prevent discrimination.

While employment discrimination is prohibited under U.S. law, location bias remains a widespread problem in hiring. Some employers may make negative assumptions about your socioeconomic status when they see your full address. You’ll struggle to prove you’ve been discriminated against if they do.

Your address takes up space on your resume

A full address takes up a lot of valuable space in your resume header that you could use to highlight other more important professional details, such as a professional registration number or portfolio link.

If your address is very long, it could also make your header look cluttered. Replacing your address with your city and state makes your resume cleaner and easier to read.

Exceptions: When to put your address on your resume

Although it’s not necessary to list your address on your resume, there are a couple of situations where including a full address is appropriate.

The employer requested a full address specifically

One reason to include an address on your resume is if the employer specifically requests it.

It was formerly standard practice to list a full address on a resume, so some employers may still request that you do so. Check the job listing and any communications you’ve had with the hiring manager for specific instructions to provide your address.

You want to show that you live locally

While relocating for work is common and routine, certain employers favor applicants who are already living nearby.

Showing that you live locally can also help emphasize your interest in the specific job opportunitiy. Employees with shorter commutes and lower commute costs are more likely to have positive work-life balance and remain with their employer for an extended period.

If you live in the same area as the job you’re applying to, you may want to include your city and state, or your full address, if you believe it will give you an advantage or provide clarity to employers.

How to write your address on your resume

There are two ways to include your address on your resume. You can either write your full address (street address, city, state, and zip code) or just the city and state you live in. Both formats provide the hiring manager with enough information to make a hiring decision.

Here’s an example of a resume with the full address listed:

Now, here’s an example of a resume with a shortened address including just the city and state:

If you’re relocating

If you’re not currently living in the same area as the job you’re applying for but plan on relocating soon, you should list your address on your resume in a slightly different way.

Simply include a line that states “Relocating to City, State in Month, Year” instead of your current address. This assures hiring managers that you’re a viable candidate, despite not living in the area.

Here’s an example of how to list your address on a resume if you’re relocating: