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COUNTY

Essex County

Massachusetts · 826,653 residents (2025 est.) · 493 sq mi
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Part of the Boston metro area
The short version

With 813,054 people, Essex County is a county in Massachusetts. Few US counties rank higher on income. The typical home is worth $619,100, having roughly tripled since 2000. About 43% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Density works out to 1,651 people per square mile. Households take in $101,883 a year at the median, 24% more than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $101,883, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
43% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 64%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Essex County

What changed most since 1990

  • White share89.9% → 64.5% (−25.3 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
  • Hispanic share7.1% → 24.1% (+17.0 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts

Among the 14 counties in Massachusetts

  • 6th in household income$101,883
  • 8th in share with a bachelor's degree43.0%
  • 7th in home value$619,100
  • 4th in diversity score65.2
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
813,054
+12%since 2000
from 723,419 in 2000
826,653 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,651 / sq mi
+12%since 2000
from 1,469 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
41.2
+10%since 2000
from 37.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
493 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
656K699K742K784K827K19902000201020202024Essex County
2024813K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(43,619)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(45,340)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(49,553)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(51,779)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(50,726)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.5%(101,254)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.8%(104,252)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.5%(101,635)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.1%(114,790)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.9%(88,287)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(43,540)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.2%(18,279)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$101,883
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $51,576 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$54,665
+107%since 2000
from $26,358 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
61.8%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 43.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.482
+2%since 2010
from 0.471 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade10.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services7%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration5.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance5.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$619,100
+64%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $206,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,756
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $665 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
63.5%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 63.5% in 2000
36.5% rent
Vacancy rate
5.0%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.54 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
29.2%
−8.5 ptssince 2009
from 37.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
53.9%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
6.1
+3%since 2009
from 5.9 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
59
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.1%(601,340)
Black2%(14,399)
Hispanic / Latino11%(79,871)
Asian2.3%(16,737)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic64.5%(524,651)
Black3.5%(28,297)
Hispanic / Latino24.1%(195,593)
Asian3.5%(28,724)
Other4.4%(35,789)
Diversity Score
65
+47%since 2009
from 44 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
51
−7%since 2020
from 55 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Dominican11.5%(93,235)
Puerto Rican4.6%(37,051)
Central American4.4%(35,433)
Guatemalan2.3%(18,411)
Salvadoran1.5%(11,925)
South American1.3%(10,602)
Mexican0.7%(5,509)
Colombian0.6%(5,083)
Honduran0.3%(2,722)
Cuban0.3%(2,702)
Ecuadorian0.3%(2,416)
Peruvian0.2%(1,595)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.2%(1,404)
Nicaraguan0.1%(932)
Costa Rican0.1%(904)
Venezuelan0.1%(536)
Chilean0%(334)
Argentine0%(210)
Bolivian0%(187)
Paraguayan0%(115)
Uruguayan0%(61)
Asian origin
Chinese0.8%(6,646)
Asian Indian0.7%(5,722)
Cambodian0.6%(5,149)
Vietnamese0.4%(3,631)
Korean0.2%(1,884)
Filipino0.2%(1,229)
Bangladeshi0.1%(753)
Japanese0.1%(742)
Laotian0.1%(585)
Nepalese0.1%(490)
Pakistani0%(359)
Taiwanese0%(356)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(294)
Sri Lankan0%(154)
Burmese0%(129)
Kazakh0%(97)
Hmong0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(73)
Samoan0%(72)
Guamanian0%(22)
Ancestry
Irish18.7%(152,156)
Italian13.6%(110,498)
English9.6%(77,666)
French4.7%(38,069)
German4.4%(35,985)
Polish3.1%(24,967)
French Canadian3%(24,210)
American2.7%(21,839)
Portuguese2.2%(17,865)
Scottish2%(16,541)
Greek1.6%(13,234)
Subsaharan African1.3%(10,837)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.2%(9,470)
West Indian1.1%(9,214)
Swedish1.1%(8,897)
Arab1%(8,281)
Brazilian0.9%(7,340)
Haitian0.7%(5,801)
Canadian0.7%(5,352)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(4,253)
Lebanese0.5%(4,076)
Lithuanian0.5%(4,002)
Norwegian0.5%(3,997)
Armenian0.4%(3,091)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,844)
Dutch0.3%(2,362)
Welsh0.3%(2,312)
British0.3%(2,304)
Finnish0.2%(1,869)
Moroccan0.2%(1,815)
Nigerian0.2%(1,759)
Danish0.2%(1,650)
Hungarian0.2%(1,624)
Kenyan0.2%(1,290)
Cape Verdean0.2%(1,229)
Austrian0.2%(1,225)
Romanian0.1%(1,216)
Jamaican0.1%(1,119)
Czech0.1%(1,064)
Swiss0.1%(1,040)
Iranian0.1%(758)
Barbadian0.1%(744)
Syrian0.1%(696)
Turkish0.1%(683)
Slovene0.1%(537)
Belgian0.1%(536)
Slovak0.1%(530)
Iraqi0.1%(435)
Egyptian0%(395)
Latvian0%(316)
Serbian0%(288)
Ethiopian0%(251)
Australian0%(250)
Bulgarian0%(179)
Ghanaian0%(165)
Croatian0%(153)
Macedonian0%(143)
Israeli0%(113)
Guyanese0%(107)
Jordanian0%(103)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
43.0%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 31.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.1%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
17.9%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 11.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.5 min
+43%since 2000
from 19.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
67.6%
−9.8 ptssince 2009
from 77.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.3%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.4%
+12.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.1%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 7.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
67.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2011
from 67.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 78.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 12.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
46.2%
+6.2 ptssince 2009
from 40.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
51.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
19.1%
+5.5 ptssince 2009
from 13.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.3%
−4.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2012
from 11.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.4%
+9.8 ptssince 2017
from 82.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.2%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 92.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.8%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 89.6% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
71.3%
−3.5 ptssince 2016
from 74.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
19.1%
+3.2 ptssince 2016
from 15.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.1%(120,131)
Married52.3%(169,594)
Widowed2.4%(7,616)
Divorced8.2%(26,658)
Women 15+
Never married33%(115,566)
Married46.7%(163,854)
Widowed8%(28,105)
Divorced12.3%(43,018)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
2.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
59.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 59.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 15.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 18.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 25.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.4%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
40.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 39.3% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)20.7%(5,698)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)15.8%(4,352)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.2%(9,956)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.9%(2,160)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.8%(494)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 27,478 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 County, decade by decade

Essex County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990670,080$90,994$423,37225.9%23.4
2000723,419$93,954$376,71831.3%37.0
2010743,159$92,289$535,72436.1%49.1
2020809,829$99,660$529,17640.6%63.4
2024813,054$101,883$619,10043.0%65.2

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.

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Head to head

Compare Essex County to nearby counties

ESSEX COUNTY VS
Suffolk County
Income$95,631−6%
Home value$705,800+14%
Population791,891−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Rockingham County
Income$118,331+16%
Home value$497,500−20%
Population324,077−61%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$130,847+28%
Home value$727,800+18%
Population1,669,979+102%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739+28%
Home value$683,900+10%
Population739,749−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Essex County, Massachusetts?

Essex County, Massachusetts has about 813,054 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Essex County, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Essex County, Massachusetts earns about $101,883 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Essex County, Massachusetts expensive?

In Essex County, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $619,100, and the typical rent is about $1,756 a month.

How educated are people in Essex County, Massachusetts?

About 43.0% of adults age 25 and over in Essex County, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Essex County, Massachusetts?

About 9.4% of people in Essex County, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Essex County, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Essex County, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 142,974 residents, a change of about 21 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →