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ZIP Code21639

Greensboro, MD

Caroline County · Maryland · United States
Home to 4,621 people across 33.087 square miles.

Eastern11 ZIPs in county

At a glance

21639 by the numbers

Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.

Population
4,621
±547 · 59th pctile nationally
Median household income
$59,274
US median $70,109 · 31th pctile
Median home value
$270,300
US median $207,500 · 66th pctile
Median age
37.3
US median 42 years
Population density
140/mi²
59th pctile most dense
Land area
33.087 mi²
plus 0.317 mi² water

Location

Where 21639 is

38.958732, -75.782499 · Census ZCTA internal pointOpen larger map →
Coordinates38.958732, -75.782499
Time zoneAmerica/New_York
CountyCaroline County
StateMaryland (MD)
Land area33.087 mi²
Coordinate sourceCensus ZCTA internal point

Local time

America/New_York

—:—:—

Current weather

Live from the National Weather Service

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Distance to major cities

Straight-line, computed from coordinates

Philadelphia, PA76.2 mi
New York, NY153.5 mi
Boston, MA341.3 mi
Atlanta, GA598.6 mi

People

Who lives in 21639

4,621 residents in 1,682 households, averaging 2.75 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 28.2% of residents.

Age distribution

Share of residents by age band

Under 1828.2%
18-247.8%
25-3410.3%
35-4414.3%
45-5411.6%
55-6412.7%
65+15.1%

Households

Composition and size

Total households1,682
Average household size2.75
Family households63.8%
Living alone30.7%
Median age37.3 years
Households with internet88.4%

Race & ethnicity

Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.

White72.0%
Black8.8%
Asian0.0%
Native American4.4%
Other3.9%
Two or more10.9%
Hispanic / Latino18.7%

Income & work

What people earn in 21639

The median household here earns $59,274 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 21639 ahead of 31% of American ZIP codes. 14.3% of residents live below the poverty line.

Compared to the US

This ZIP against the national median

Median household income$59,274
LowestHighest
Higher than 31% of all US ZIP codes.
Median household income$59,274 ±$10,974
Per capita income$32,891
Poverty rate14.3%
Unemployment rate3.0%
Labor force participation62.5%

Household income distribution

Share of households in each bracket

<$25k16.2%
$25-50k22.7%
$50-75k17.7%
$75-100k8.6%
$100-150k19.4%
$150-200k10.7%
$200k+4.7%

Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 12.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 83.2% finished high school.

Housing

Homes and rent in 21639

A typical home is valued at $270,300, and median rent runs $1,017 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 71.4% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1982.

Costs

Typical values

Median home value$270,300
Median gross rent$1,017/mo
Median year built1982
Housing units1,890
Vacancy rate11.0%

Own vs. rent

Of 1,682 occupied units

Owner-occupied71.4%
Renter-occupied28.6%
Owner households1,201
Renter households481

Building types

Units by structure size

Single family80.6%
2-4 units6.7%
5-19 units7.0%
20+ units5.8%

Getting to work

How 21639 commutes

77.4% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 35.9 minutes.

Mode of transport

Workers 16 and older

Drove alone77.4%
Carpooled8.9%
Public transit1.2%
Walked5.9%
Worked from home3.7%

Travel time

Mean commute 35.9 minutes

<10 min17.5%
10-1913.7%
20-2911.7%
30-4423.6%
45-5911.4%
60+22.0%

Overview

Understanding ZIP code 21639

ZIP code 21639 is assigned to Greensboro, MD, and falls within Caroline County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 4,621 people live inside it.

At 140 residents per square mile spread over 33.087 square miles, 21639 reads as a rural area. It is a smaller postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.

Household earnings run below the national median. At $59,274, 21639 sits in the lower half, ahead of 31% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.

Living here

What life in Greensboro looks like

Housing in 21639 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $270,300 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,017 a month. Ownership dominates: 71.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which usually signals an established residential area with relatively low turnover.

The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 80.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1982, making the housing here from the later twentieth century.

The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 37.3 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.75 people, and 63.8% are family households.

Getting to work takes 35.9 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 77.4% of workers.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Greensboro, MD

21639 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.

Median rent in 21639 is $1,017 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Philadelphia, PA is about 76.2 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.

Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.

Book a Hotel →

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Practical uses

What ZIP code 21639 is used for

Beyond addressing mail, 21639 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.

For anyone weighing a move, 21639 offers a compact profile of Greensboro: 4,621 residents, a median household income of $59,274, 12.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 3.0%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.

One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 21639 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Greensboro may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.

Nearby

ZIP codes near 21639

The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Maryland ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.

More in Caroline County

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Questions

Common questions about 21639

What city is ZIP code 21639 in?
21639 serves Greensboro, Maryland, in Caroline County, United States.
What is the population of 21639?
About 4,621 people live in ZIP code 21639, according to the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The margin of error on that figure is ±547. That works out to roughly 140 people per square mile.
What is the average income in 21639?
The median household income in 21639 is $59,274 per year, compared with a US median of $70,109. Per capita income is $32,891. Median income is more representative than an average because it isn't skewed by a small number of very high earners.
How expensive is housing in 21639?
The median home value is $270,300 and median gross rent is $1,017 a month. 71.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Is 21639 a good place to live?
That depends on what you're looking for, but here are the facts: 12.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the unemployment rate is 3.0%, and the median age is 37.3. The average commute is 35.9 minutes. We publish the numbers and let you weigh them.
What time zone is 21639 in?
21639 observes Eastern Time (America/New_York). This zone observes daylight saving time.
How big is ZIP code 21639?
ZIP code 21639 covers 33.087 square miles of land plus 0.317 square miles of water, per the US Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files.
Is 21639 urban, suburban or rural?
By population density, 21639 reads as a rural area. It holds 140 people per square mile across 33.087 square miles of land. For reference, densities above 10,000 per square mile generally indicate an urban core, 1,000–3,000 is typically suburban, and under 200 is rural. These are rules of thumb rather than official designations — the Census Bureau classifies urban and rural areas by census block, not by ZIP code.
How much is rent in 21639?
Median gross rent in 21639 is $1,017 a month, according to the American Community Survey. Gross rent includes contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels, so it is closer to what a tenant actually pays than a headline rent figure. Of 1,682 occupied homes here, 481 are rented.
What is the commute like from 21639?
The average one-way commute from 21639 takes about 35.9 minutes. The most common way to travel is drove alone, used by 77.4% of workers aged 16 and over. Commute figures cover people who were employed and working outside the home during the survey period.
How many people work in 21639?
About 2,118 residents of 21639 are employed. Labor force participation stands at 62.5% and the unemployment rate is 3.0%. Note this counts residents by where they live, not by where they work — a ZIP with many offices can have far more jobs than employed residents.
Where should I stay when visiting 21639?
Accommodation in and around Greensboro, MD ranges with the character of the area. See the 'Where to stay' section on this page for local context, and use the live search there for current availability and pricing.
Does 21639 cover more than one city or county?
This page lists Greensboro as the primary place and Caroline County as the county. ZIP codes follow mail delivery routes rather than municipal or county lines, so a single code can straddle boundaries, and USPS also recognises alternate acceptable city names for many codes. If you need the definitive answer for a specific street address, the USPS ZIP Code Lookup is the authority.
Can ZIP code 21639 change?
Yes. USPS adjusts ZIP codes as delivery volumes shift — codes are occasionally split, merged, retired or newly created, and boundaries move more often than most people assume. The Census Bureau's ZCTA definitions, which underpin the demographic figures on this page, are redrawn only once a decade, so the two can drift apart between censuses.

Methodology

Where this data comes from

  • Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
  • Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 21639. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
  • Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
  • Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
  • Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
On accuracy. ACS figures are survey estimates, not counts. The margin of error shown alongside the population figure means the true value has a 90% chance of falling in that range. For small ZIP codes the error can be large relative to the estimate — treat the direction as more reliable than the exact number. This page reports data for ZCTA 21639, the Census approximation of the USPS delivery area.