21557 ZIP Code, Rawlings, MD

21557 is a ZIP code in Rawlings, Maryland in Allegany County. It covers 27 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 21542, 21562 and 21521. 1,481 people live here in 715 households. It is rural, with fewer than 100 people per square mile, and most homes are owner-occupied (75%). Median household income is $34,936, well below the Maryland median of $103,678; the median age is 45.3, older than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents1,481
Households715
Median household income$34,936
Income per person$29,039
Median age45.3
Homeowners74.8%
Median home value$123,300
Median rentnot published
Bachelor's degree or higher19.5%
Average commute (minutes)21.9
Households with kids under 1825.2%
Moved in the past year6.4%
Below the poverty line13.9%
Broadband internet78.3%
Speak a non-English language at home4.6%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K20.6%
$10–15K0.0%
$15–25K6.6%
$25–35K23.2%
$35–50K6.3%
$50–75K16.1%
$75–100K9.0%
$100–150K9.0%
$150–200K9.4%
$200K+0.0%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<108.6%
10–1912.5%
20–243.3%
25–3415.1%
35–4410.1%
45–5417.9%
55–6411.7%
65–7410.3%
75+10.6%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage29.0%
Owned outright36.5%
Rented22.0%
Vacant12.5%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house91.2%
Townhome0.0%
2–4 units0.0%
5–19 units0.0%
20+ units0.0%
Mobile / other8.8%

Businesses in 21557

17 business establishments with 46 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

21557 has 1 USPS carrier routes with 691 residential and 12 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 21557

21557 has 1 USPS carrier routes (1 rural (R)) with 691 residential and 12 business mailboxes. Routes range from 691 homes (R571) to 691 homes (R571); the median route has 691 homes. The Census counted 715 households in 21557 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2490
250–4990
500–7491
750–9990
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Every carrier route in 21557

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
R571Rural69112$54,650———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 21557 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

Areas that include 21557

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 21557

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) 21557, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 21557 in?
21557 is a Rawlings, MD mailing address. By land area, 4% lies inside Danville, 4% lies inside Bier, 3% lies inside Rawlings and 3% lies inside McCoole; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 21557 in?
21557 is in Allegany County.
What is the population of 21557?
About 1,481 people (±437), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 1,911.
What is the median household income in 21557?
$34,936 (±$33,181), 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 21557?
1 USPS carrier routes with 691 residential and 12 business mailboxes (703 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 21557?
The closest, measured center to center: 21542 (4.9 mi, Midland), 21562 (6 mi, Westernport), 21521 (6.6 mi, Moscow), 21539 (6.6 mi, Lonaconing), 26750 (7 mi, Piedmont) and 21540 (7.6 mi, Luke).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.