Ilchester is a community in Howard County, Maryland, home to about 28,364 people across 11 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 21043 and 21075.
Homes sold for a median of $259 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; part is in Ilchester
Mostly Elkridge; part is in Ilchester
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Ilchester. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Ilchester’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)7 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Baltimore, MD10 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA103 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Ilchester; 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.
Ilchester had 26,824 residents in the 2020 census, up 14% since 2010.
It’s the 48th 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 (6 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).
684 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Ilchester’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 35 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 39 |
| Dentists | 45 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 172 |
| Mental health providers | 199 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 164 |
| Optometrists | 11 |
| Chiropractors | 19 |
| Pharmacies | 25 |
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 (6 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries
Museums
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 2.5 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 1761.
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 | 1.7 mi |
| Deep Run ElementaryElkridge | Pre-K–5 | 638 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Ducketts Lane ElementaryElkridge | Pre-K–5 | 573 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Elkridge ElementaryElkridge | Pre-K–5 | 798 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Ilchester ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 482 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Rockburn ElementaryElkridge | Pre-K–5 | 649 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Veterans ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 883 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| Worthington ElementaryEllicott City | Pre-K–5 | 403 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Hollifield Station ElementaryEllicott City | K–5 | 677 | Public | 5.9 mi |
| Bonnie Branch MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 739 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Elkridge Landing MiddleElkridge | 6–8 | 686 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Ellicott Mills MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 698 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Mayfield Woods MiddleElkridge | 6–8 | 731 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Patapsco MiddleEllicott City | 6–8 | 670 | Public | 5.6 mi |
| Howard HighEllicott City | 9–12 | 1,493 | Public | 2.2 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Manor MontessoriEllicott City | Pre-K–1 | 37 | Nonsectarian | 2.6 mi |
| Childrens Magnet Montessori SchoolElkridge | Pre-K–K | 24 | Nonsectarian | 3.0 mi |
| Global Children Montessori SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–K | 9 | Nonsectarian | 1.9 mi |
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–8 | 190 | Roman Catholic | 0.9 mi |
| St Augustine SchoolElkridge | Pre-K–8 | 223 | Roman Catholic | 3.1 mi |
| The Goddard SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–K | 6 | Nonsectarian | 1.9 mi |
| Trinity SchoolEllicott City | Pre-K–8 | 212 | Roman Catholic | 0.4 mi |
| Tarbiyah AcademyElkridge | K–8 | 176 | Islamic | 2.9 mi |
| Maryland International SchoolElkridge | 1–12 | 185 | Nonsectarian | 3.0 mi |
| Linwood SchoolEllicott City | 3–12 | 50 | Nonsectarian | 3.9 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 Ellicott City, Elkridge 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.