ZIP Code 21042 — Ellicott City, MD
21042 is a standard (street delivery) ZIP code serving Ellicott City, Maryland, in Howard County. To mail something here you only need these five digits — but the four-digit extension narrows delivery to a single point, and it is what USPS bulk postage discounts are priced on.
ZIP code 21042 at a glance
| ZIP code | 21042 |
|---|---|
| Primary city | Ellicott City |
| State | Maryland (MD) |
| County | Howard FIPS 24027 |
| ZIP type | Standard (street delivery) |
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| Population | 43,327 |
| Coordinates | 39.271050, -76.892400 |
How ZIP+4 works in 21042
The four digits after the hyphen encode a delivery segment inside 21042. In practice one segment usually means:
- One side of one block — odd numbers on a street between two cross streets
- A single large building, or one floor of it
- A group of PO boxes, sometimes a single box
- A single business that receives enough mail to warrant its own code
That is why 21042 has no single ZIP+4: two neighbors across the street from each other usually have different ones. Enter a street address above and we will return the exact nine-digit code along with the standardized USPS address format.
Other ZIP codes in Ellicott City
Nearby ZIP codes
Showing the closest twelve. See every ZIP code within 25 miles of 21042.
| ZIP | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 21044 | Columbia, MD | 4.2 mi |
| 21794 | West Friendship, MD | 4.7 mi |
| 21163 | Woodstock, MD | 5.1 mi |
| 21043 | Ellicott City, MD | 5.1 mi |
| 21029 | Clarksville, MD | 5.5 mi |
| 21104 | Marriottsville, MD | 5.5 mi |
| 21045 | Columbia, MD | 5.7 mi |
| 21036 | Dayton, MD | 6.4 mi |
| 21737 | Glenelg, MD | 6.9 mi |
| 21738 | Glenwood, MD | 7.1 mi |
| 21046 | Columbia, MD | 7.2 mi |
| 21244 | Windsor Mill, MD | 7.3 mi |
Questions about 21042
What is the ZIP+4 code for 21042?
21042 is the five-digit ZIP code. The ZIP+4 adds four more digits that identify a specific delivery point — usually one side of a city block, a single building, or a group of PO boxes. Because those four digits change from address to address within 21042, you need to look up a specific street address to get them.
What city is 21042?
21042 is assigned to Ellicott City, Maryland, in Howard County.
Do I need to use the ZIP+4?
It is optional for ordinary mail, but it speeds up sorting and it is required for most USPS bulk-mail postage discounts. Many address-verification and e-commerce systems also use ZIP+4 to confirm a delivery point exists.
Need thousands of these?
Upload a CSV and get ZIP+4, county, carrier route, and delivery-point data appended to every row — or call the API directly.