Best Places21920, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 21920, 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.
21920 ranks 14,828th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 21920
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.
21920's strengths and weaknesses
Where 21920 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 21920 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 21920
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 21920 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $99,108, 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 21920's effective rate of 0.83%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 21920
21920'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 21920.
Who works in 21920, and how
Work in 21920 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 21920
The coast is about 19 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 21920, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 21920, month by month
21920 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, 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 | 45° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 21920
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 35 miles away.
The best schools in and around 21920
Schools across 21920 average a C, better than 36% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kenmore ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
- Cecil Manor ElementaryD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cherry Hill MiddleC− · 28% proficient
- Elkton MiddleD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Elkton HighB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 21920 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
21920 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 21920 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 21920
Is 21920 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 21920 ranks 14,828th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, big-city access, and few empty homes, 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 21920 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $306,782. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $99,108 median income, cost of living beats 75% of zip codes.
Is 21920 safe?
Yes, 21920 is safer than 64% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $274 per resident a year.
Compare 21920 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 21920. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 21920 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.
21920 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 21920: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 21920: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 21920: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 21920: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
21920 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.