Best Places21005, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21005, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
21005 ranks 4,125th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 21005
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
21005's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21005 ranks high
- Short commute14.7 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 21005 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,304 a month, better than only 16% of zip codes
Who lives in 21005
21005 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 21005.
Who works in 21005, and how
Work in 21005 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 21005
The coast is about 7 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 21005, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21005, month by month
21005 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 67° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 89° | 80° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 60° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 21005
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 31 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 36 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21005
Schools across 21005 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Roye-williams ElementaryD+ · 23% proficient
- G. Lisby Elementary At HillsdaleD− · 15% proficient
- Halls Cross Roads ElementaryF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Aberdeen MiddleD · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Aberdeen HighB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21005 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21005 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 21005 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 21005
Is 21005 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21005 ranks 4,125th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, heat safety, and population health, and lowest on taxes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 21005 safe?
21005 is safer than 47% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $436 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 21005?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 26. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 15% of zip codes.
Compare 21005 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21005. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21005 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
21005 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21005: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21005: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21005: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21005: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21005 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.