21788 Zip Code Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for the zip code 21788, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

21788 is a zip code in Frederick County, Maryland, which covers District 4, Creagerstown, District 5, Emmitsburg, District 6, Catoctin, District 10, Hauvers, District 15, Thurmont, District 20, and Lewistown, with a total population of 11,598 people.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in the 21788 zip code. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in 21788.

The estimated population of people living in 21788 is 11,598, with a median age of 47.7.

We can look back at data from previous years to see how the population in the 21788 area has changed over the last 5 years.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
11,598
 -5.25% -1.23%
2020
12,241
+2.78%
-
2019
11,910
+3%
-
2018
11,563
 -1.52% -
2017
11,742
 - -

Population of 21788 by Race and Ethnicity

How much has the race and ethnicity of the population in the 21788 zip code changed? The US Census Bureau gives us a few defined types that the population is broken down into.

Let's look at the total numbers and also the change over the last 5 years.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
93.2%
96.6%
 -3.52%
Black/African American
0.7%
0.4%
 +75.00%
Native
0%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
4.4%
1.5%
 +193.33%
Asian
0.2%
0.3%
 -33.33%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
1.4%
1.1%
 +27.27%
Other
0.1%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for anybody studying the 21788 zip for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of 21788 by Age and Gender

We can also monitor the change of the age and gender in the 21788 zip code to track track trends in the population over time.

We can see how the population in 21788 has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 47.7 +1.06% 45.9 +2.68% 48.7 0%
2020 47.2 +4.42% 44.7 +2.76% 48.7 +4.51%
2019 45.2 +1.12% 43.5 +3.82% 46.6 -1.06%
2018 44.7 +3.95% 41.9 0% 47.1 +4.43%
2017 43 - 41.9 - 45.1 -

The median age of the 21788 zip gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population in the 21788 area, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 593 -6.97% 609 -53.57% 505 318
10 to 19 910 -24.86% 717 +3.99% 694 724
20 to 29 795 +15.05% 571 +15.61% 889 654
30 to 39 610 -15.62% 520 +1.3% 502 524
40 to 49 793 -1.77% 887 -16.72% 774 728
50 to 59 980 +20.69% 924 +4.63% 1,188 961
60 to 69 752 -6.74% 702 +42.34% 688 1,009
70+ 594 +10.68% 785 +2.35% 652 788

Median Household Income

The latest median household income for the 21788 zip code is $83,988.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less.

The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for 21788.

  • Under 25
    $77,688.00
  • 25 to 44
    $91,250.00
  • 45 to 64
    $122,188.00
  • 65 and over
    $56,346.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in the 21788 zip code, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in 21788, and then dividing that number by the total number of households.

This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of 21788 is currently $109,509.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

12.94% of households in 21788 are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of 21788 against other zip codes.

  • Less than $24,999
    12.30%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    14.58%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    13.71%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.79%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    21.54%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    10.15%
  • $200,000 or more
    12.94%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in 21788 is $45,156.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of 21788 by the total population of 21788.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people living in the 21788 area, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in 21788 to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.25%
  • Bachelor's degree
    20.67%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.88%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    48.99%
  • Less than high school diploma
    4.20%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in 21788 that are over the age of 16.

Currently, the total population of the 21788 zip over the age of 16 is 9,765.

Of those people, a total of 68.90% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in 21788 is 67.00%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate. Here's how that breaks down for the 21788 zip code.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 408 49.50% 5.90%
20 to 24 years 671 82.30% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 872 83.70% 3.30%
30 to 34 years 478 88.70% 3.80%
35 to 44 years 1,101 87.70% 3.10%
45 to 54 years 1,935 86.10% 0.80%
55 to 59 years 1,163 91.10% 1.50%
60 to 64 years 889 81.80% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 1,218 26.80% 17.10%
75 years and over 1,030 7.10% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in 21788. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau (which we mentioned earlier in this article).

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 9,337 68.60% 2.20%
Black or African American 91 69.20% 25.40%
American Indian and Alaska Native 13 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 17 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 73 45.20% 0.00%
Two or more races 234 83.30% 5.10%
Hispanic or Latino 291 79.70% 7.30%
Not Hispanic or Latino 9,256 68.30% 2.00%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations for people living in the 21788 area as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in 21788 is 6,547, with median earnings of $53,074.00.

Women in 21788 are earning approximately 78.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,547 $53,074.00
Male 3,651 $56,565.00
Female 2,896 $44,223.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings for 21788 even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 864 $88,947.00
Business and Financial 331 $69,896.00
Computer and Mathematical 277 $98,920.00
Architecture and Engineering 76 $72,647.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 31 $81,607.00
Community and Social Service 85 $44,375.00
Legal 27 $86,985.00
Educational and Library 549 $30,979.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 75 $107,396.00
Healthcare Practitioners 298 $65,203.00
Healthcare Support 59 $20,694.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 22 $0.00
Law Enforcement 136 $106,439.00
Food Preparation and Serving 376 $17,667.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 237 $28,403.00
Personal Care and Service 126 $38,173.00
Sales 399 $20,469.00
Office and Administrative Support 934 $46,800.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 63 $28,920.00
Construction and Extraction 479 $43,910.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 315 $63,383.00
Production 269 $43,346.00
Transportation and Material Moving 310 $60,984.00

Occupations by Gender

Now we can also look at the occupations by category for 21788 when it is broken down by male and female.

This lets us see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings for 21788.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 528 $123,750.00 336 $65,789.00
Business and Financial 200 $68,333.00 131 $92,083.00
Computer and Mathematical 179 $111,118.00 98 $64,375.00
Architecture and Engineering 72 $72,941.00 4 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $80,357.00 7 $0.00
Community and Social Service 29 $77,917.00 56 $39,271.00
Legal 17 $0.00 10 $0.00
Educational and Library 164 $29,019.00 385 $33,393.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 52 $131,964.00 23 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 52 $92,321.00 246 $59,500.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 59 $20,694.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 22 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 136 $106,439.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 217 $21,270.00 159 $9,787.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 132 $28,816.00 105 $28,179.00
Personal Care and Service 8 $0.00 118 $37,788.00
Sales 218 $29,800.00 181 $12,989.00
Office and Administrative Support 94 $48,750.00 840 $46,800.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 63 $28,920.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 479 $43,910.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 315 $63,383.00 0 $0.00
Production 209 $44,550.00 60 $37,750.00
Transportation and Material Moving 282 $61,189.00 28 $38,958.00

Households and Family Size

A household is defined by the US Census Bureau as a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 4,699 households in 21788, with an average household size of 2.47 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,473 families living in the 21788 zip code with an average family size of 2.84 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each, that live in 21788:

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,740 197 536 1,226
Average Household Size 2.88 2.86 3.18 1.16
Total Families 2,740 197 536 0
Average Household Size 2.85 2.38 2.97 0

Poverty

Of the 3,473 families living in 21788, 5.00% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in 21788:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 5,005 housing units in 21788.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,699 93.89%
Vacant 306 6.11%

13.53% of the total 5,005 housing units in 21788 are rental units. This is approximately 677 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,917 are occupied by the owner - or 78.26% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in 21788 is $1,061.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in 21788 that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    105
  • Less than $500
    48
  • $500 to $999
    260
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    182
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    170
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    17
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in 21788 is $295,900.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in 21788 that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    55
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    75
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    92
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    591
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,197
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,652
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    213
  • $1,000,000 or more
    42

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in 21788. The chart below shows the number of properties in 21788 that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    922
  • 1940 to 1949
    280
  • 1950 to 1959
    491
  • 1960 to 1969
    483
  • 1970 to 1979
    630
  • 1980 to 1989
    586
  • 1990 to 1999
    824
  • 2000 to 2009
    548
  • 2010 to 2013
    241
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in 21788 that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    96
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,155
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,559
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,889

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in 21788 get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in 21788 that commute to work in a particular way.

29.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in 21788.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    178
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    611
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    378
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,085
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    846
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    331
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    924
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    126
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    144
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    418
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    537
  • 90 or more minutes
    311

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for 21788 in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

States in 21788

If you want to see how the population and demographics of 21788 compare to other zip codes in Maryland, check out the list of all Maryland zip codes below: