Best Places21015, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21015, 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.
21015 ranks 1,957th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 21015
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.
21015's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21015 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$140,674 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 21015 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
- Cheap childcare$1,304 a month, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21015
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21015 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $140,674, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 21015's effective rate of 0.86%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 21015
21015's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 21015.
Who works in 21015, and how
Work in 21015 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 21015
21015 has more late-night spots per resident than 76% of zip codes. The coast is about 20 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 21015 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21015, month by month
21015 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 21015
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall sits about 31 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.3 million passengers in 2025, with 114 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 21015
Schools across 21015 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Homestead/wakefield ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Hickory ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
- Prospect Mill ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southampton MiddleB · 45% proficient
- Patterson Mill Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Bel Air MiddleB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Harford Technical HighA+ · 81% proficient
- Bel Air HighA · 69% proficient
- Patterson Mill High SchoolA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21015 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21015 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 21015 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 21015 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 97% of zip codes and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 21015
Is 21015 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21015 ranks 1,957th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, high incomes, and low crime, 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 21015 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $457,624. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $140,674 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 21015 safe?
Yes, 21015 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $174 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 21015?
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 16% of zip codes.
Is 21015 good for families?
Schools beat 68% of zip codes, crime safety beats 94%, and childcare runs $1,304 a month.
Compare 21015 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21015. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21015 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.
21015 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21015: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21015: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21015: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21015: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21015 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.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- 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.