Ocean City, MD · standard

ZIP Code 21842

Worcester County, Maryland — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

Reviewed by PlainZIP Editorial Team, ZIP Code Data Editors · June 13, 2026

11,089
481/sq mi: $79,876
Median income: $447,700
Median home value: 40.7%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Ocean City pairs an above-median household income with upper-quartile home values, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 38%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 16%
home value, US ZIPs: 481
people per sq mi: 76%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 21842 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 21842 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 23.0 square miles in Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland. The area is home to 11,089 residents, producing a population density of 481 people per square mile, and falls within the New York time zone. These USPS and Census boundary values drive every downstream statistic on this page, including the benchmarks that compare 21842 against Maryland and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 21842 sits at $79,876 (30% below the Maryland average), while per-capita income is $75,528. The poverty rate stands at 9.4% and the unemployment rate at 7.5%. On housing, the median home value is $447,700 (0% above the state average) with median rent at $1,394 per month, and 76.0% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 21842 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 40.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 53.4, and the average commute is 20 minutes. We also surface 6 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Worcester County, so you can benchmark 21842 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone. Every figure is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, HUD Fair Market Rents, and FHFA Home Price Index data, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with HUD →

Top industries in ZIP 21842

Accommodation and food services

382
Retail trade

220
Real estate and rental and leasing

96
Other services (except public administration)

92
Professional, scientific, and technical services

69

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + HUD FMR + FHFA HPI ACS demographics, ZBP business establishments, HUD Fair Market Rents, FHFA HPI for ZIP 21842, Ocean City, MD · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-13 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; HUD FMR + FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

11,089

Population

23.0

Area (sq mi)

481

People / sq mi

New York

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard

Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.

View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 21842?

53.4

Median Age

49.4%

Male

50.6%

Female

9.0%

Foreign-Born

White 86.9%

African American 1.8%

Asian 1.1%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.3%

Two or More Ethnicities 5.9%

Hispanic or Latino 8.3%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$79,876

Median Household Income

-30% vs state

$75,528

Per Capita Income

9.4%

Poverty Rate

7.5%

Unemployment Rate

19.6 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 21842 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$79,876 Top 38% higher than 62% of 30,318 US ZIPs

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 68.3%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 40.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

32,621

Total Housing Units

5,751

Occupied Units

26,870

Vacant Units

1.92

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 76.0%

Renter 24.0%

$447,700

Median Home Value

+0% vs state

$1,394

Median Rent

1983

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How have home values changed over time?

FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals

+8.1%

YoY Change (2024)

345

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+245%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 21842 have increased 8.1% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +245% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+3.6%	202
2021	+14.1%	231
2022	+19.7%	276
2023	+15.6%	319
2024	+8.1%	345

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 1,116 business establishments in ZIP 21842, employing approximately 9,768 people with a combined annual payroll of $457,493,000.

1,116

Businesses

9,768

Employees

$457.5M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Accommodation and food services	382	34.2%
Retail trade	220	19.7%
Real estate and rental and leasing	96	8.6%
Other services (except public administration)	92	8.2%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	69	6.2%
Construction	51	4.6%
Finance and insurance	38	3.4%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	35	3.1%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	33	3.0%
Health care and social assistance	31	2.8%
Information	20	1.8%
Wholesale trade	18	1.6%
Manufacturing	13	1.2%
Transportation and warehousing	9	0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	5	0.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 21842 vs 21813 →

21811

22,550
21842

11,089
19975

8,253
19945

6,862
21813

2,852
19944

620
21862

106

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 21842 ranks #2 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

21813

$121,472
19944

$121,250
21811

$90,082
19975

$88,568
19945

$87,638
21842

$79,876

What this shows By household income, ZIP 21842 ranks #6 of 6 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
21813	Bishopville, MD	2,852	5.4 mi
19944	Fenwick Island, DE	620	7.4 mi
21862	Showell, MD	106	7.3 mi
21811	Berlin, MD	22,550	7.7 mi
19975	Selbyville, DE	8,253	8.1 mi
19945	Frankford, DE	6,862	11.7 mi

More ZIP Codes in Worcester County

Worcester County Ocean City, MD Maryland

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 21842 in? ▼

ZIP code 21842 (Ocean City) is located in Worcester County, Maryland. Worcester County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/worcester-md.

What is the population of ZIP code 21842? ▼

ZIP code 21842 in Ocean City, MD has a population of 11,089 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 21842? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 21842 is $79,876, which is 5% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 21842? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 21842 is $447,700, which is 61% above the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 21842? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 21842 is White at 86.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 8.3% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 21842? ▼

ZIP code 21842 has 1,116 business establishments employing approximately 9,768 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 21842? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 21842 are: Accommodation and food services (382), Retail trade (220), Real estate and rental and leasing (96). There are 15 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 21842? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 21842 increased by 8.1% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 245%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is the education level in ZIP code 21842? ▼

In ZIP code 21842, 68.3% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 40.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the average commute time in ZIP 21842? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 21842 is 19.6 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.

What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 21842? ▼

In ZIP code 21842, approximately 76.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 24.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 21842? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 21842 is 9.4% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.