Source: Adapted from Rodrigue, J-P (2020) “The Distribution Network of Amazon: Analyzing the Footprint of Freight Digitalization”, Journal of Transport Geography, Vol. 88.
Sortation centers are dispersed facilities with a reliance on accessibility to a regional parcel distribution market. This is particularly apparent by looking at the uniform spatial distribution of sortation centers along the Boston – Washington corridor, extending into Virginia and North Carolina. From these centers, parcels are either sent to delivery stations or to post offices for final delivery. As of 2022, 106 sortation centers of a median size of 385,400 square feet were covering the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.