Should you put your address on a resume?

For a typical job application in the US or Canada, you can leave your street address and apartment number off your resume. Your current city and state or province are a practical default when you want to show where you are based. Add the country if it helps make the location clear. Follow any specific address instructions in the application.

The location printed on your resume and the address requested in an application form are separate decisions. A short location line does not replace a required answer about your current address. For applications outside the US and Canada, check local conventions as well as the employer's instructions.

Choose the amount of detail the application needs

Start with the posting and its submission instructions, then choose what belongs in the resume's contact section:

• City and state or province: Use these to give location context without sharing your street address or apartment number. Spell out the region if an abbreviation could confuse the reader.
• Country: Add it when applying across borders or when the city and region could be unclear to the intended reader.
• ZIP or postal code: You can usually leave it off when city and region provide enough context and the employer has not requested it. Include an accurate code if the instructions ask for one.
• Full street address: Add it when the resume instructions specifically require it. A separate required address field does not, by itself, mean you need to repeat the full address on the document.

Listing your city is useful when you apply for a local job because it shows the reader you already live in the area. Some hiring managers also expect to see a location, so think about the employer's view before you remove it.

You can still leave location off the resume when it is not requested and you prefer not to share it there. Keep a working email address and phone number so the employer can contact you. Omitting location does not remove any location or attendance requirements in the posting.

Think about who will see each version of your resume. A resume posted on a public portfolio has a different audience from one submitted to a particular employer. Choose what contact information you want to make public, and check the file itself before uploading it.

See what a shorter contact header looks like

Amara Lewis is a fictional applicant who lives in London, Ontario. She is applying for an office assistant job in London, and the application does not request a street address or postal code. She could use this contact header:

The city and province describe where Amara is based. Her street, apartment number, and postal code are absent because this application does not request them. Replace the fictional contact details with your own current information.

For an application where the reader may not recognize “ON,” Amara could change only the location line:

Writing out the province and country makes Amara's location clearer. It does not establish her eligibility to work in another country or her availability to attend an office. Answer any eligibility or availability questions directly.

Keep current location separate from work preferences

“Remote” describes a work arrangement. It does not tell a reader where you are based. If a posting asks for your location, give your actual location even when the job is remote. Read any stated country, region, or on-site requirements before applying.

If you are moving, use the relocation guide to distinguish a confirmed move from willingness to move. Do not substitute the destination for your current home or use someone else's address to imply you already live there.

Locations in your experience section describe the work listed there. Editing your contact header does not require changing the location of an earlier job.

Treat application fields as their own questions

If an application asks for your current residential address, answer with your actual current address. If it asks for a mailing address, use an address where you can receive mail. Read the field labels rather than assuming that every address question means the same thing.

After uploading your resume, review any address fields the form filled in from it. A shortened resume header may not supply all the information the form requests. Correct incomplete or misplaced details before submitting. If a required field does not fit your situation, ask the employer how to complete it rather than inventing an address.

Check the printed contact line in Better Resume

In Better Resume's Contact section, enter the city and state or province in “Location.” For Amara's first example, that would be “London, ON.” Leave “Zip/postal code” blank if you do not want a code printed on the resume.

The finished resume places the Zip/postal code immediately after the Location text. Clearing Location alone does not remove a code left in the other field. If you choose to omit location entirely, check both fields. A field's presence in the editor does not mean every application needs that detail.

Use Preview to check the contact text and how it wraps. Export the PDF and open it to confirm the location, email, and phone number in the exact file you will send. The resume file-name guide covers naming that attachment and keeping working versions separate.