Best Places21762, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21762, 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.
21762 ranks 8,265th 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 21762
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.
21762's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21762 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Household income$121,182 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 21762 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Short commute42.4 minutes each way, better 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 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21762
A household needs to earn about $141,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21762 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $121,182, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 21762's effective rate of 0.88%, 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 21762
21762'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 21762.
Who works in 21762, and how
Work in 21762 centers on construction and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 21762
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 21762.
What the weather is like in 21762, month by month
21762 sees roughly 64 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 21762
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 37 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21762
Schools across 21762 average a B−, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Liberty ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Market MiddleB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Linganore HighA+ · 82% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21762 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21762 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 21762 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 21762
Is 21762 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21762 ranks 8,265th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, a stable housing market, and high incomes, and lowest on taxes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 21762 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $533,644. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $121,182 median income, cost of living beats 82% of zip codes.
Is 21762 safe?
21762 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $355 per resident a year.
Compare 21762 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21762. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21762 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.
21762 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21762: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21762: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21762: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21762: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21762 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.