21838 Zip Code Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for the zip code 21838, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

21838 is a zip code in Somerset County, Maryland, which covers District 3, Brinkleys, District 8, and Lawsons, with a total population of 1,931 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 21838 zip code. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in 21838.

The estimated population of people living in 21838 is 1,931, with a median age of 48.6.

We can look back at data from previous years to see how the population in the 21838 area has changed over the last 5 years.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
1,931
+6.98%
+19.27%
2020
1,805
+8.93%
-
2019
1,657
 -8.45% -
2018
1,810
+11.8%
-
2017
1,619
 - -

Population of 21838 by Race and Ethnicity

How much has the race and ethnicity of the population in the 21838 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
79.2%
77.9%
 +1.67%
Black/African American
13.6%
17.6%
 -22.73%
Native
0%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
2.8%
0%
 0.00%
Asian
0.4%
0.2%
 +100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.9%
4.3%
 -9.30%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for anybody studying the 21838 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 21838 by Age and Gender

We can also monitor the change of the age and gender in the 21838 zip code to track track trends in the population over time.

We can see how the population in 21838 has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 48.6 -3.19% 49.9 -4.22% 47.7 -0.83%
2020 50.2 -4.56% 52.1 +2.76% 48.1 -13.8%
2019 52.6 +10.04% 50.7 +9.74% 55.8 +9.84%
2018 47.8 -6.27% 46.2 -3.55% 50.8 -2.68%
2017 51 - 47.9 - 52.2 -

The median age of the 21838 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 21838 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 59 +36.11% 88 -12.25% 75 77
10 to 19 138 -7.93% 72 +158.5% 113 150
20 to 29 90 +11.12% 84 +228.77% 91 109
30 to 39 43 -92.54% 61 +85.45% 9 89
40 to 49 69 +105.4% 65 +167.44% 156 143
50 to 59 182 +9.29% 200 -2.96% 192 190
60 to 69 117 +29.3% 119 +9.7% 149 121
70+ 74 +75.15% 158 +7.08% 101 166

Median Household Income

The latest median household income for the 21838 zip code is $78,310.00.

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 21838.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $67,153.00
  • 45 to 64
    $79,415.00
  • 65 and over
    $68,438.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in the 21838 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 21838, 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 21838 is currently $87,669.00.

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.

7.05% of households in 21838 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 21838 against other zip codes.

  • Less than $24,999
    14.36%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    17.10%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    13.97%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    24.41%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    20.76%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.35%
  • $200,000 or more
    7.05%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in 21838 is $35,992.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of 21838 by the total population of 21838.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people living in the 21838 area, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in 21838 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
    11.46%
  • Bachelor's degree
    35.01%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    18.01%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    34.26%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.26%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in 21838 that are over the age of 16.

Currently, the total population of the 21838 zip over the age of 16 is 1,703.

Of those people, a total of 59.50% 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 21838 is 58.10%.

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 21838 zip code.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 187 18.20% 0.00%
20 to 24 years 116 69.80% 29.60%
25 to 29 years 84 100.00% 0.00%
30 to 34 years 9 100.00% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 177 100.00% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 427 84.30% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 166 74.10% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 123 52.80% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 236 34.30% 0.00%
75 years and over 178 0.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in 21838. 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 1,377 59.30% 2.90%
Black or African American 242 57.40% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 8 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 39 74.40% 0.00%
Two or more races 37 59.50% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 40 75.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 1,376 59.20% 2.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations for people living in the 21838 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 21838 is 990, with median earnings of $38,993.00.

Women in 21838 are earning approximately 63.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 990 $38,993.00
Male 407 $49,276.00
Female 583 $31,186.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings for 21838 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 67 $66,027.00
Business and Financial 30 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 80 $0.00
Legal 3 $0.00
Educational and Library 32 $0.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 9 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 129 $55,977.00
Healthcare Support 18 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 45 $39,375.00
Food Preparation and Serving 23 $0.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 64 $35,214.00
Personal Care and Service 34 $0.00
Sales 82 $41,250.00
Office and Administrative Support 146 $11,825.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 51 $243,317.00
Construction and Extraction 33 $33,750.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 54 $26,786.00
Production 12 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 47 $29,583.00

Occupations by Gender

Now we can also look at the occupations by category for 21838 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 21838.

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 33 $73,125.00 34 $0.00
Business and Financial 30 $0.00 0 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 79 $0.00 1 $0.00
Legal 0 $0.00 3 $0.00
Educational and Library 0 $0.00 32 $0.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 9 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 0 $0.00 129 $55,977.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 18 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 45 $39,375.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 0 $0.00 23 $0.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 39 $0.00 25 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 34 $0.00
Sales 14 $0.00 68 $39,167.00
Office and Administrative Support 1 $0.00 145 $11,806.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 25 $40,625.00 26 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 33 $33,750.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 54 $26,786.00 0 $0.00
Production 12 $0.00 0 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 20 $0.00 27 $0.00

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 766 households in 21838, with an average household size of 2.52 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 554 families living in the 21838 zip code with an average family size of 3.01 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 21838:

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 517 0 37 212
Average Household Size 3.06 0 2.68 1.17
Total Families 517 0 37 0
Average Household Size 3.06 0 2.3 0

Poverty

Of the 554 families living in 21838, 3.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in 21838:

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 1,056 housing units in 21838.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 766 72.54%
Vacant 290 27.46%

5.49% of the total 1,056 housing units in 21838 are rental units. This is approximately 58 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 699 are occupied by the owner - or 66.19% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in 21838 is $1,353.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in 21838 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
    9
  • Less than $500
    0
  • $500 to $999
    22
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    17
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    19
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in 21838 is $143,300.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in 21838 that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    17
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    178
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    170
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    79
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    88
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    125
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    42
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in 21838. The chart below shows the number of properties in 21838 that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    251
  • 1940 to 1949
    145
  • 1950 to 1959
    15
  • 1960 to 1969
    46
  • 1970 to 1979
    180
  • 1980 to 1989
    92
  • 1990 to 1999
    125
  • 2000 to 2009
    154
  • 2010 to 2013
    48
  • 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 21838 that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    8
  • 1 vehicle available
    104
  • 2 vehicles available
    288
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    366

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in 21838 get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in 21838 that commute to work in a particular way.

25 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in 21838.

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
    14
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    206
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    90
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    191
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    74
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    18
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    8
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    82
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    63
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    134
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    9
  • 90 or more minutes
    26

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for 21838 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 21838

If you want to see how the population and demographics of 21838 compare to other zip codes in Maryland, check out the list of all Maryland zip codes below: