ZIP Code 21842 — Ocean City town, MD Demographics & Data

ZIP code 21842 covers Ocean City, MD in Worcester County with a population of about 11,121.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 53.7 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 410, 443, 667; U.S. House district MD-1; the SALISBURY media market.

Median household income in ZIP 21842 is about $75,372 — about even with the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 8.2%; unemployment rate near 7.3%; 39.3% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 5.6 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Food services, Professional services, and Public administration; about 12.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.6 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $415,900 — about 19% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,081 (about 7% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 73.6% (about 8.2 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 21842 in Ocean City, MD, a household would need roughly $115,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,672. That is about 53% above the local median household income ($75,372), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Ocean City town, MD as Relatively Low (composite score 68.2), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (92.0) and wildfire (65.9). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Ocean City town, MD show little to no average snow and around 42.6 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 653 for ZIP 21842 (Ocean City town, MD) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.