Best Places21701, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21701, 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.
21701 ranks 5,347th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on walkability by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 21701
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.
21701's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21701 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Household income$120,093 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 21701 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
- QuietBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21701
A household needs to earn about $122,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21701 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $120,093; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 21701's effective rate of 1.14%, 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 21701
21701's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 21701.
Who works in 21701, and how
Work in 21701 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 21701
21701 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 95% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 21701 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21701, month by month
21701 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 45° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 21701
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 34 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21701
Schools across 21701 average a C+, better than 51% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oakdale ElementaryB · 49% proficient
- New Market ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Frederick Classical CharterB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Oakdale MiddleB · 46% proficient
- New Market MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Walkersville MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Linganore HighA+ · 82% proficient
- Oakdale HighA · 79% proficient
- Walkersville HighA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21701 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21701 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 21701 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 21701 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 84% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 21701
Is 21701 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21701 ranks 5,347th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, transit, and an educated workforce, 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 21701 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $444,447. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $120,093 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 21701 safe?
21701 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $371 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 21701?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 28. That works out to about 63 pleasant days a year, more than 13% of zip codes.
Is 21701 good for families?
Schools beat 51% of zip codes, crime safety beats 44%, and childcare runs $1,304 a month.
Compare 21701 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21701. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21701 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.
21701 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21701: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21701: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21701: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21701: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21701 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.