Worcester County · Salisbury · population 6,884
Where Ocean City stands
Home values down 3.3% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent vs buy
At a 15.3 price-to-rent ratio, Ocean City is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Ocean City has held up across the cycle: home values at $440,846 with +5.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Ocean City's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.
About Ocean City
Ocean City is a city in Worcester County, Maryland, with an estimated population of 6,884. It anchors the Salisbury metro area. The median home value in Ocean City is $440,846 as of 2026-04, down 3.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.5% annual growth (-4.0% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Ocean City average $2,404 per month. The composite momentum score is 55 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
Playbook
Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.
Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.
Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Worcester County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Worcester County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Ocean City
3 tracked · ranked by median home valueCities like Ocean City
Run the numbers for Ocean City
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Ocean City listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Salisbury area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Ocean City
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