To put it bluntly: Maryland has some seriously wealthy areas; indeed, some of the most expensive housing markets on the East Coast, excluding vacation spots. The parts of Maryland within the greater Washington, D.C. area notorious for their displays of wealth.
Recently, we’ve been analyzing ZIP codes in terms of their home values, and going state by state identifying the most expensive ones. This time around the focus is on Maryland, a state — like many others — with great disparities of wealth. The vast gulf that separates, say, Bethesda, Maryland, from the rural, northwest interior is gigantic.
So, without further ado, read on to find out the most expensive ZIP codes in Maryland in 2024, relying on data from Zillow’s home value index and the Census Bureau.
The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Maryland
Using data from Zillow’s home value index, we analyzed thousands of ZIP codes across the United States. We’ve been identifying the most expensive places on various geographic levels, including state-level, city-level, and perhaps most intriguingly, ZIP code-level.
As part of our analysis, we took into consideration the latest monthly home values Zillow has — September 2024 — as well as the average of 12 months of median home values from October 2023 to September 2024, in order to gain a fuller picture.
Below are the 25 most expensive ZIP codes in Maryland.
Many of the most expensive ZIP codes in Maryland tend to be expensive housing markets along the Chesapeake or along the Potomac River at varying distances from Washington, D.C.
The Top 5 Most Expensive ZIP Codes in Maryland
The No. 1 most expensive ZIP code in Maryland is 21056, covering Gibson Island, which is southwest of Baltimore. Households in ZIP code 21056 earn a lot of money. The Census Bureau only tracks median household income up to $250,000; beyond that, the Census denotes it as “$250,000+”. In ZIP code 21056, the median household income is over $250,000. The mean household income is $357,219, which is one of the highest recorded in the country.
Five years ago, the median home value in ZIP code 21056 was over $1.9 million. It then grew by more than half (54%), reaching more than $2.934 million. In the last year alone, home values appreciated by approximately 2.5%, which comparatively robust for homes that are already so expensive.
The No. 2 most expensive ZIP code in Maryland is 21405. It is also southeast of Baltimore, while southwest of Gibson Island. It lies along the Severn River, upstream from Annapolis. Incomes are quite high in ZIP code 21405, though not as high as in 21056: The median household income is north of $150,000, while the average household income is $176,203. Home value appreciation here also exceeded 50% in five years, from a median of $956,779 in September 2019, to being just shy of $1.443 million by September 2024. What’s more, the year-over-year home value appreciation in 21405 is very impressive: 7.5% from September 2023 to September 2024.
The No. 3 most expensive ZIP code in Maryland — 20816 — covers an area south of Bethesda, including Woodacres, Westgate, Brookmont, as well as including Bowlero Bethesda. As with so many other of the most expensive ZIP codes in Maryland, 20816 lies along the northern shore of the Potomac River. This ZIP code has a lot of top-earners. The median household income is $228,311, plus a mean household income of $321,268. An incredible 54.5% of households earn $200,000 or more a year. Home values have appreciated substantially since the beginning of the pandemic in 220. Back in September 2023, the median home value in ZIP code 20816 was a little over $1.004 million. Over the last five years, it increased by about one-third, reaching roughly $1.327 million.
The fourth most expensive ZIP code in Maryland is 20815, which covers the very affluent Chevy Chase (a census-designated place, CDP), as well as Martin’s Additions, Kenwood, and Somerset. Its southeast boundary is Washington, D.C. The median household income in 20815 is $185,873, and the mean household income is $297,181. Nearly 60% of households in ZIP code 20815 earn $150,00 or more. Home value appreciation here was solid — 28.8% — over the last five years, but not as strong as in other ZIP codes on our list. The average 12-month median home value is around $1.308 million, while the median for September 2024 is $1.324 million.
The fifth most expensive ZIP code in Maryland is 20812. It covers a comparatively tiny area; half of it is made up of Cedar Island, Cabin John Island, and Chautauqua Island; it also wraps around Glen Echo Park. The household income distribution here is fascinating, likely the result of its small size: 1.9% of households earn less than $10,000, but there are no households that earn between $10,000 and $50,000; above $50,000, the number and share of households increases, with households earning $200,000 or more making up 47.6% of households. The year-over-year home value appreciation in ZIP code 20812 is better than most, at 5.4%, with the median home value being over $1.27 million as of September 2024.
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