ZIP Code 21842 — Ocean City, MD
21842 is a standard (street delivery) ZIP code serving Ocean City, Maryland, in Worcester 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 21842 at a glance
| ZIP code | 21842 |
|---|---|
| Primary city | Ocean City |
| State | Maryland (MD) |
| County | Worcester FIPS 24047 |
| ZIP type | Standard (street delivery) |
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| Population | 11,226 |
| Coordinates | 38.377800, -75.090840 |
How ZIP+4 works in 21842
The four digits after the hyphen encode a delivery segment inside 21842. 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 21842 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 21842.
| ZIP | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 21813 | Bishopville, MD | 5.6 mi |
| 21862 | Showell, MD | 6.9 mi |
| 19944 | Fenwick Island, DE | 7 mi |
| 19975 | Selbyville, DE | 7.7 mi |
| 21811 | Berlin, MD | 8.1 mi |
| 19967 | Millville, DE | 11.3 mi |
| 21872 | Whaleyville, MD | 11.3 mi |
| 19945 | Frankford, DE | 11.4 mi |
| 19970 | Ocean View, DE | 12.2 mi |
| 19930 | Bethany Beach, DE | 12.8 mi |
| 21874 | Willards, MD | 14.3 mi |
| 19939 | Dagsboro, DE | 14.3 mi |
Questions about 21842
What is the ZIP+4 code for 21842?
21842 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 21842, you need to look up a specific street address to get them.
What city is 21842?
21842 is assigned to Ocean City, Maryland, in Worcester 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.