20878 ZIP Code, Gaithersburg, MD
20878 is a ZIP code in Gaithersburg, Maryland in Montgomery County. It covers 20 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 20899, 20874 and 20877. 66,115 people live here in 24,237 households, which puts it among the most populous 1% of Maryland ZIP codes. At about 3,233 people per square mile it has suburban density, and owners and renters are mixed (69% own). Median household income is $144,313, above the Maryland median of $103,678.
Quick facts
- Mailing city: Gaithersburg, MD
- County: Montgomery County
- Land area: 20 sq mi
- Population: 66,115
- Median household income: $144,313
- Carrier routes: 51 (25,897 homes)
Key figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Residents | 66,115 |
| Households | 24,237 |
| Median household income | $144,313 |
| Income per person | $69,431 |
| Median age | 41.4 |
| Homeowners | 69.2% |
| Median home value | $715,800 |
| Median rent | $2,226 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 70.3% |
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.4 |
| Households with kids under 18 | 34.3% |
| Moved in the past year | 11.4% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% |
| Broadband internet | 98.2% |
| Speak a non-English language at home | 46.2% |
Household income
| % of households | Value |
|---|---|
| <$10K | 1.4% |
| $10–15K | 1.3% |
| $15–25K | 2.5% |
| $25–35K | 3.0% |
| $35–50K | 3.7% |
| $50–75K | 8.7% |
| $75–100K | 14.1% |
| $100–150K | 16.8% |
| $150–200K | 14.8% |
| $200K+ | 33.7% |
Age
| % of all residents | Value |
|---|---|
| <10 | 10.8% |
| 10–19 | 13.6% |
| 20–24 | 5.5% |
| 25–34 | 10.3% |
| 35–44 | 15.1% |
| 45–54 | 15.2% |
| 55–64 | 13.6% |
| 65–74 | 9.7% |
| 75+ | 6.3% |
Tenure
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Owned, with mortgage | 47.5% |
| Owned outright | 19.8% |
| Rented | 29.3% |
| Vacant | 3.5% |
Type of building
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Detached house | 42.0% |
| Townhome | 25.9% |
| 2–4 units | 1.1% |
| 5–19 units | 18.1% |
| 20+ units | 12.6% |
| Mobile / other | 0.3% |
Businesses in 20878
2,087 business establishments with 23,732 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 515
- Management of Companies and Enterprises: 332
- Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 214
- Health Care and Social Assistance: 164
- Accommodation and Food Services: 159
- Retail Trade: 132
- Other Services (except Public Administration): 118
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 91
EDDM carrier routes
20878 has 51 USPS carrier routes with 25,897 residential and 1,127 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.
Carrier routes in 20878
20878 has 51 USPS carrier routes (39 city (C), 12 rural (R)) with 25,897 residential and 1,127 business mailboxes. Routes range from 38 homes (C037) to 1,134 homes (C058); the median route has 474 homes. The Census counted 24,237 households in 20878 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.
| Homes per route | Routes |
|---|---|
| 1–249 | 1 |
| 250–499 | 29 |
| 500–749 | 17 |
| 750–999 | 3 |
| 1,000–1,499 | 1 |
| 1,500+ | 0 |
Best routes in 20878 for…
Most businesses
For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.
- Route C030 — USPS business mailboxes 188, 258 homes
- Route C059 — USPS business mailboxes 176, 828 homes
- Route C028 — USPS business mailboxes 165, 361 homes
- Route C013 — USPS business mailboxes 80, 378 homes
- Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 77, 519 homes
Select these 5 routes on the route map
Every carrier route in 20878
| Route | Type | Homes | Businesses | Est. median income | Est. owners | Est. families with kids | Est. moved in past year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C001 | City | 575 | 7 | $100,956 | — | — | — |
| C002 | City | 519 | 77 | $83,542 | — | — | — |
| C003 | City | 625 | 38 | $117,068 | — | — | — |
| C004 | City | 348 | 1 | $160,848 | — | — | — |
| C005 | City | 398 | 9 | $158,500 | — | — | — |
| C006 | City | 517 | 4 | $160,848 | — | — | — |
| C007 | City | 710 | 6 | $129,265 | — | — | — |
| C008 | City | 496 | 16 | $83,542 | — | — | — |
| C009 | City | 819 | 45 | $59,697 | — | — | — |
| C010 | City | 499 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C011 | City | 477 | 0 | $158,500 | — | — | — |
| C012 | City | 432 | 7 | $162,824 | — | — | — |
| C013 | City | 378 | 80 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C014 | City | 463 | 1 | $194,354 | — | — | — |
| C017 | City | 470 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C018 | City | 527 | 2 | $162,824 | — | — | — |
| C026 | City | 524 | 1 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C027 | City | 566 | 2 | $129,265 | — | — | — |
| C028 | City | 361 | 165 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C029 | City | 600 | 3 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C030 | City | 258 | 188 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C034 | City | 330 | 24 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C035 | City | 506 | 12 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C036 | City | 579 | 27 | $102,558 | — | — | — |
| C037 | City | 38 | 33 | $173,536 | — | — | — |
| C038 | City | 658 | 1 | $83,542 | — | — | — |
| C040 | City | 378 | 8 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C045 | City | 629 | 11 | $69,071 | — | — | — |
| C046 | City | 671 | 1 | $66,876 | — | — | — |
| C047 | City | 644 | 45 | $69,071 | — | — | — |
| C048 | City | 369 | 1 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C049 | City | 511 | 5 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C050 | City | 447 | 33 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C053 | City | 454 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C055 | City | 441 | 3 | $164,981 | — | — | — |
| C056 | City | 449 | 30 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C057 | City | 896 | 40 | $173,536 | — | — | — |
| C058 | City | 1,134 | 6 | $173,536 | — | — | — |
| C059 | City | 828 | 176 | $173,536 | — | — | — |
| R020 | Rural | 359 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R021 | Rural | 466 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R022 | Rural | 423 | 0 | $181,187 | — | — | — |
| R023 | Rural | 374 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R024 | Rural | 474 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R025 | Rural | 462 | 3 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R031 | Rural | 622 | 1 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R032 | Rural | 417 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R033 | Rural | 478 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R042 | Rural | 427 | 7 | $137,050 | — | — | — |
| R043 | Rural | 407 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R044 | Rural | 464 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 20878 on the EDDM route map.
How route demographics are estimated
Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates
The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).
How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method
We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.
Margins of error
Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.
Different years
USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.
Why some routes show identical figures
Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.
Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Nearby ZIP codes
- 20899 — Gaithersburg city, MD (2.9 mi)
- 20874 — Darnestown CDP, MD (3.1 mi)
- 20877 — Gaithersburg city, MD (3.7 mi)
- 20850 — Rockville city, MD (4.1 mi)
- 20880 — Washington Grove town, MD (4.5 mi)
- 20854 — Potomac CDP, MD (5.7 mi)
- 20886 — Montgomery Village CDP, MD (5.8 mi)
- 20879 — Flower Hill CDP, MD (6 mi)
Areas that include 20878
- Gaithersburg, MD ZIP codes — 5 ZIP codes
- North Potomac, MD ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Darnestown, MD ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Montgomery County ZIP codes — 48 ZIP codes
- Maryland ZIP code data
Where it ranks
Mail every home in 20878
Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.
EDDM guides
ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 20878, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
Frequently asked questions
- What city is 20878 in?
- 20878 is a Gaithersburg, MD mailing address. By land area, 27% lies inside Gaithersburg, 25% lies inside North Potomac, 23% lies inside Darnestown and 7% lies inside Travilah; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
- What county is 20878 in?
- 20878 is in Montgomery County.
- What is the population of 20878?
- About 66,115 people (±1,695), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 65,990.
- What is the median household income in 20878?
- $144,313 (±$7,146), compared with $103,678 for Maryland as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
- How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 20878?
- 51 USPS carrier routes with 25,897 residential and 1,127 business mailboxes (27,026 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
- What ZIP codes are near 20878?
- The closest, measured center to center: 20899 (2.9 mi, Gaithersburg), 20874 (3.1 mi, Darnestown), 20877 (3.7 mi, Gaithersburg), 20850 (4.1 mi, Rockville), 20880 (4.5 mi, Washington Grove) and 20854 (5.7 mi, Potomac).
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.