Essex is home to 40,580 people in Maryland. 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Households here earn about 35% less than in Maryland as a whole. There are 4,382 people per square mile. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $258,900. 8% of people here were born outside the United States.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $67,168, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 46%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Essex
What changed most since 1990
Black share8.4% → 29.2%(+20.9 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
White share89.5% → 54.7%(−34.8 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants49.5% → 61.3%(+11.9 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Essex's population equals 4.8% of Baltimore County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 2.1% of the county's. Its number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher equals 2.3% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.2%(418)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)32.6%(751)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.5%(632)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.6%(82)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1%(23)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 2,301 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Essex, decade by decade
Essex population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
40,872
$65,968
$184,325
5.4%
23.9
2000
39,078
$63,718
$177,794
7.8%
51.9
2010
39,262
$71,134
$292,605
12.8%
64.8
2020
40,505
$72,027
$237,196
16.0%
77.9
2024
40,580
$67,168
$258,900
19.9%
75.5
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
