Best Places21649, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21649, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
21649 ranks 26,476th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Taxes pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on fast internet.
The best neighborhoods in 21649
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.
21649's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21649 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 87% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 21649 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Short commute36.8 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21649
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21649 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,501, 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 21649's effective rate of 0.72%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 21649
21649's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 21649.
Who works in 21649, and how
Work in 21649 centers on construction and admin & support services. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 21649
21649 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. The coast is about 34 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 21649 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21649, month by month
21649 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 45° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 21649
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21649
Schools across 21649 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Greensboro Elementary SchoolD− · 14% proficient
- Sudlersville Elementary SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sudlersville Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
- Lockerman Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- North Caroline High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Queen Anne's County High SchoolB · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21649 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21649 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 21649 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 21649
Is 21649 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21649 ranks 26,476th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, big-city access, and quiet, 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 21649 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $242,929. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $66,501 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 21649 safe?
21649 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $310 per resident a year.
Compare 21649 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21649. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21649 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.
21649 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21649: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21649: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21649: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21649: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21649 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.