Ellicott City is a community in Howard County, Maryland, home to about 75,257 people across 30 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 21042 and 21043, and parts of 21104 and 21163 are in Ellicott City too.
Homes sold for a median of $273 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly Ellicott City
Mostly Ellicott City; also Ilchester and Catonsville
Mostly Eldersburg; part is in Ellicott City
Mostly Randallstown; part is in Ellicott City
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Ellicott City. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Ellicott City’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)11 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Baltimore, MD12 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA104 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Ellicott City; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Ellicott City had 75,947 residents in the 2020 census, up 35% since 2000.
It’s the 7th largest of 527 towns in Maryland by population.
Howard County grew from 16,715 residents in 1900 to 332,317 in 2020.
Howard County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 89°F in summer, and winter lows average 25°F. About 45 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 19 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Baltimore Wash Intl Ap, MD weather station (11 miles away).
185,946 jobs at 10,050 businesses in Howard County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1,029 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Ellicott City’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 75 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 60 |
| Dentists | 101 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 105 |
| Mental health providers | 385 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 262 |
| Optometrists | 18 |
| Chiropractors | 23 |
| Pharmacies | 27 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (22 nearby)
Grocery stores (11 nearby)
Pharmacies (6 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (7 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (3 nearby)
Counts are within about 3.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1772.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Howard County Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellows Spring ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 806 | Public | 5.2 mi |
| Centennial Lane ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 749 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Ilchester ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 482 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| Triadelphia Ridge ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 619 | Public | 7.6 mi |
| Veterans ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 883 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Waverly ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 827 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| Worthington ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 403 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Hollifield Station ElementaryEllicott City | K–5 | 677 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Manor Woods ElementaryEllicott City | K–5 | 697 | Public | 4.4 mi |
| Northfield ElementaryEllicott City | K–5 | 764 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| St. Johns Lane ElementaryEllicott City | K–5 | 636 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Bonnie Branch MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 739 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| Burleigh Manor MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 777 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Dunloggin MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 623 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Ellicott Mills MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 698 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Folly Quarter MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 682 | Public | 7.9 mi |
| Homewood SchoolEllicott City | 6–12 | 109 | Alternative Education | 3.6 mi |
| Patapsco MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 670 | Public | 2.2 mi |
| Applications and Research LaboratoryEllicott City | 9–12 | — | Alternative Education | 3.8 mi |
| Centennial HighEllicott City | 9–12 | 1,377 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Howard HighEllicott City | 9–12 | 1,493 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| Mount Hebron HighEllicott City | 9–12 | 1,455 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Manor MontessoriEllicott City | Pre-K–1 | 37 | Nonsectarian | 2.0 mi |
| Glenelg Country SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–12 | 705 | Nonsectarian | 6.6 mi |
| Global Children Montessori SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–K | 9 | Nonsectarian | 2.8 mi |
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–8 | 190 | Roman Catholic | 4.2 mi |
| Resurrection St Paul SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–8 | 445 | Roman Catholic | 1.0 mi |
| St Johns Parish Day SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 168 | Episcopal | 0.5 mi |
| The Goddard SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–K | 6 | Nonsectarian | 4.0 mi |
| Trinity SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–8 | 212 | Roman Catholic | 4.7 mi |
| Linwood SchoolEllicott City | 3–12 | 50 | Nonsectarian | 2.0 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Ilchester, Randallstown, Eldersburg and Catonsville.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.