ZIP Code 21221 — Essex, MD
21221 is a standard (street delivery) ZIP code serving Essex, Maryland, in Baltimore 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 21221 at a glance
| ZIP code | 21221 |
|---|---|
| Primary city | Essex |
| State | Maryland (MD) |
| County | Baltimore FIPS 24005 |
| ZIP type | Standard (street delivery) |
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| Population | 43,487 |
| Coordinates | 39.294620, -76.440340 |
How ZIP+4 works in 21221
The four digits after the hyphen encode a delivery segment inside 21221. 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 21221 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.
Nearby ZIP codes
Showing the closest twelve. See every ZIP code within 25 miles of 21221.
| ZIP | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 21222 | Dundalk, MD | 3.6 mi |
| 21220 | Middle River, MD | 4.2 mi |
| 21237 | Rosedale, MD | 4.2 mi |
| 21219 | Sparrows Point, MD | 4.4 mi |
| 21224 | Baltimore, MD | 5.4 mi |
| 21206 | Baltimore, MD | 6 mi |
| 21052 | Fort Howard, MD | 6.4 mi |
| 21205 | Baltimore, MD | 6.6 mi |
| 21236 | Nottingham, MD | 6.9 mi |
| 21162 | White Marsh, MD | 7 mi |
| 21213 | Baltimore, MD | 7.4 mi |
| 21128 | Perry Hall, MD | 7.6 mi |
Questions about 21221
What is the ZIP+4 code for 21221?
21221 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 21221, you need to look up a specific street address to get them.
What city is 21221?
21221 is assigned to Essex, Maryland, in Baltimore 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.