Suppose that list is in M1:N5, and you enter 49494 in A1 - put this in
B1:

=IF(ISNA(MATCH(--LEFT(A1,3),M$1:M$5,0)),"no-one",VLOOKUP(--LEFT(A1,3),M
$1:N$5,2,0))

I assume that the 490, 491 etc in column M have been entered as
numbers, so the -- in front of the LEFT functions ensures that the
lookup value is also a number.

Hope this helps.

Pete

On Nov 7, 1:06*am, mailrail
wrote:
I need to match a 5-digit zip code with a person responsible for that area.
For instance, if I type in 49494, and I have a person responsible for the
entire 494 area, I'd like to return the value (person) who has that area
without have to do a matchup for each individual zip code. *For instance:

I type in 49494. I have another list that shows this:
490 - Smith
491 - Jones
492 - Hayes
493 - Gates
494 - Doe

Thanks in advance!