Housing data for Ellicott City, MD
Ellicott City, MD has an estimated 75,257 residents and 27,645 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Howard County.
28.0% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $2,061 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 75,257 (±2,426)
- Housing units
- 27,645 (±800)
- Households that rent
- 28.0%
- Median gross rent
- $2,061
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +3.6%
What stands out in Ellicott City
Median real estate taxes: $8,044 (±$165) in Ellicott City, higher than in Howard County ($6,987).
Median home value: $661,700 (±$11,299) in Ellicott City, higher than in Howard County ($597,900).
Homes heated by fuel oil: 2.9% (±0.6 points) in Ellicott City, lower than in Howard County (4.1%).
Commuting by public transportation: 0.5% (±0.3 points) in Ellicott City, lower than in Howard County (1.5%).
- Property taxes in Ellicott City
- Home values in Ellicott City
- Heating fuel in Ellicott City
- Commute and cars in Ellicott City
Housing in Ellicott City at a glance
- Median rent: $2,061 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $2,101 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 53.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 28.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $156,964 median household income
- Home values: $661,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $3,255 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $8,044 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 26.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 71.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 26.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 3.9% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 54.2% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 28.2 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +3.6% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 21.3% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Ellicott City against Howard County, its state and the nation
| Ellicott City | Howard County | Maryland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 75,257 (±2,426) | 336,328 (exact) | 6,206,011 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 27,645 (±800) | 125,286 (±105) | 2,560,784 (±424) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 28.0% (±2.1 points) | 28.5% (±1.0 points) | 32.4% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $2,061 (±$94) | $2,099 (±$33) | $1,705 (±$8) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $156,964 (±$11,037) | $149,763 (±$3,158) | $103,678 (±$597) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $661,700 (±$11,299) | $597,900 (±$6,060) | $419,900 (±$1,385) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $8,044 (±$165) | $6,987 (±$79) | $4,093 (±$21) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 26.4% (±2.1 points) | 29.1% (±1.1 points) | 51.2% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 28.2 minutes (±0.9) | 28.5 minutes (±0.6) | 31.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.5% (±1.3 points) | 96.6% (±0.6 points) | 92.4% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 43.2 years (±0.6) | 39.8 years (±0.3) | 39.4 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Ellicott City covers 30.0 square miles of land, about 2,508 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Ellicott City has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 72,665 (±1,093) | 75,257 (±2,426) | +3.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 27,124 (±279) | 27,645 (±800) | +1.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,615 (±$49) | $2,061 (±$94) | +27.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $537,400 (±$8,918) | $661,700 (±$11,299) | +23.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $131,534 (±$6,378) | $156,964 (±$11,037) | +19.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,886 (±$70) | $3,255 (±$102) | +12.8% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $6,433 (±$77) | $8,044 (±$165) | +25.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 25.9% (±1.6 points) | 28.0% (±2.1 points) | +2.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 8.3% (±3.3 points) | 3.9% (±2.5 points) | −4.4 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Howard County
Ellicott City has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Howard County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Howard County recorded 116 violent and 1,483 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Ellicott City
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21043 | 72% | 48,525 | $2,094 | $620,900 | $148,125 |
| 21042 | 44% | 43,327 | $2,183 | $706,400 | $190,061 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Ellicott City
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catonsville | 5.0 mi | $1,724 | $416,900 | 30.3% |
| Woodlawn (Baltimore County) | 5.0 mi | $1,494 | $294,200 | 37.1% |
| Columbia | 5.4 mi | $2,042 | $497,400 | 35.2% |
| Ilchester | 5.7 mi | $2,115 | $532,400 | 23.6% |
| Milford Mill | 6.0 mi | $1,653 | $273,600 | 53.6% |
| Randallstown | 6.8 mi | $1,577 | $327,200 | 26.1% |
| Elkridge | 7.5 mi | $2,295 | $454,200 | 37.7% |
| Lochearn | 7.5 mi | $1,460 | $286,000 | 35.1% |
Places in Maryland most like Ellicott City
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardtown | $2,002 | $575,300 | $153,819 | 35.4% |
| Ilchester | $2,115 | $532,400 | $152,103 | 23.6% |
| Severn | $2,175 | $479,200 | $134,423 | 29.0% |
| Columbia | $2,042 | $497,400 | $131,490 | 35.2% |
| North Laurel | $2,031 | $450,100 | $122,949 | 37.7% |
| Elkridge | $2,295 | $454,200 | $139,913 | 37.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Maryland.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Ellicott City, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,523 | $1,625 | $2,006 | $2,509 | $2,789 |
HUD income limits for Ellicott City, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $28,150 | $46,900 | $74,800 |
| 2 people | $32,200 | $53,600 | $85,450 |
| 3 people | $36,200 | $60,300 | $96,150 |
| 4 people | $40,200 | $67,000 | $106,800 |
| 5 people | $43,450 | $72,400 | $115,350 |
| 6 people | $46,650 | $77,750 | $123,900 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $83,100 | $132,450 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $88,450 | $141,000 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $134,000.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Ellicott City is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Ellicott City
What is the average rent in Ellicott City, MD?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Ellicott City is $2,061 (±$94) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Ellicott City?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Ellicott City, MD is $1,688 (±$94) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Ellicott City rent-burdened?
53.5% of renting households in Ellicott City pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Ellicott City?
Ellicott City has an estimated 7,543 (±628) renting households, 28.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Ellicott City?
The median household income in Ellicott City is $156,964 (±$11,037) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Ellicott City, MD?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $661,700 (±$11,299) for owner-occupied homes in Ellicott City (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Ellicott City growing?
In Ellicott City, the number of residents went from 72,665 in 2015–2019 to 75,257 in 2020–2024 (+3.6%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Ellicott City?
The ZIP codes that cover Ellicott City are 21043, 21042.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 21043?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 21043 is $2,094 (±$94) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ellicott City CDP, Maryland
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Ellicott City CDP, Maryland (place:26000, in state:24).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .