Best Places21713, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21713, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
21713 ranks 6,972nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 21713
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.
21713's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21713 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 21713 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
- Short commute31.2 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21713
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21713 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $98,883, 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 21713's effective rate of 0.66%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 21713
21713 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 21713.
Who works in 21713, and how
Work in 21713 centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 21713
21713 has more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 21713 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21713, month by month
21713 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 29° | 23° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 84° | 73° | 65° |
| October | 66° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 21713
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 41 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21713
Schools across 21713 average a B−, better than 66% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Boonsboro ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Rockland Woods ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
- Greenbrier ElementaryD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Boonsboro MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Springfield MiddleC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Barbara Ingram School For The ArtsA · 70% proficient
- Boonsboro HighB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21713 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21713 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 21713 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 21713
Is 21713 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21713 ranks 6,972nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, civic engagement, and big-city access, 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 21713 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $368,555. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $98,883 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 21713 safe?
Yes, 21713 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $236 per resident a year.
Compare 21713 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21713. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21713 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.
21713 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21713: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21713: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21713: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21713: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21713 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.