Ocean City is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, home to about 6,903 people across 4.5 square miles. Its ZIP code is 21842.
Homes sold for a median of $437 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Mostly Ocean City; also West Ocean City
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Ocean City. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
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| Nearest major airport | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)103 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Ocean City Municipal Airport (OCE)3 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Baltimore, MD106 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA116 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Ocean 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.
Ocean City had 6,844 residents in the 2020 census, down 5% since 2000.
It’s the 173rd largest of 527 towns in Maryland by population.
Worcester County grew from 20,865 residents in 1900 to 52,460 in 2020.
Worcester County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 28°F. About 42.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ocean City Muni Ap, MD weather station (3 miles away).
20,249 jobs at 2,256 businesses in Worcester County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
75 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Ocean City.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 10 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 6 |
| Dentists | 11 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 20 |
| Mental health providers | 17 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 6 |
| Optometrists | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 6 |
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 (5 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries
Museums (4 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 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 1875.
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Worcester County Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City ElementaryOcean City | Pre-K–4 | 566 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seaside Christian AcademyOcean City | Pre-K–12 | 188 | Baptist | 1.4 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 West Ocean City.
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.