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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Essex County

Massachusetts · 809,829 residents · 493 sq mi
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The short version

Essex County is a county of 809,829 people in Massachusetts. The typical home is worth $436,600, having more than doubled since 2000. About 41% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households take in $82,225 a year at the median, 24% more than the country as a whole. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 41.4
US median: 38.8
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 40%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
809,829
+12%since 2000
from 723,419 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
41.4
+10%since 2000
from 37.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
493 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
656K699K742K784K827K19902000201020202024Essex County
2024813K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.1%(41,423)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(45,306)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.2%(50,272)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.6%(53,465)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(50,503)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.2%(99,150)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.1%(98,001)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.1%(105,782)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.7%(118,712)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.6%(86,074)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.2%(41,940)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.4%(19,201)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$82,225
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $51,576 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,948
+67%since 2000
from $26,358 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
54.0%
+10.9 ptssince 2009
from 43.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
10.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information11%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade10.6%
US avg: 10%
Other services6.9%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance4.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food2.1%
US avg: 2%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$436,600
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $206,800 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,298
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $665 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
62.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2000
from 63.5% in 2000
37.5% rent
Persons per household
2.59 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
5.3
−10%since 2009
from 5.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.1%(601,340)
Black2%(14,399)
Hispanic / Latino11%(79,871)
Asian2.3%(16,737)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic66.2%(536,424)
Black3.3%(27,081)
Hispanic / Latino22.6%(182,847)
Asian3.6%(29,302)
Other2.5%(20,113)
Segregation Score
55
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
Dominican10.3%(80,836)
Puerto Rican4.8%(37,895)
Central American3.2%(25,573)
Guatemalan1.7%(13,662)
Salvadoran1.1%(8,660)
South American0.9%(7,353)
Mexican0.8%(5,940)
Colombian0.4%(3,325)
Honduran0.3%(2,374)
Cuban0.2%(1,936)
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,311)
Spaniard0.1%(1,175)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(1,002)
Venezuelan0.1%(633)
Costa Rican0.1%(460)
Chilean0.1%(397)
Bolivian0%(307)
Argentine0%(270)
Nicaraguan0%(241)
Panamanian0%(146)
Uruguayan0%(67)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.8%(6,033)
Chinese0.7%(5,328)
Cambodian0.6%(4,580)
Vietnamese0.4%(3,310)
Korean0.2%(1,772)
Filipino0.1%(1,022)
Nepalese0.1%(602)
Bangladeshi0.1%(601)
Japanese0.1%(565)
Pakistani0.1%(495)
Sri Lankan0%(324)
Thai0%(300)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(222)
Burmese0%(218)
Laotian0%(172)
Malaysian0%(46)
Bhutanese0%(25)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0%(36)
Chamorro0%(34)
Samoan0%(14)
Ancestry
Irish20.1%(158,420)
Italian15%(118,049)
English9.5%(74,819)
French5.1%(40,353)
German4.9%(38,723)
French Canadian3.7%(29,301)
Polish3.5%(27,915)
American2.9%(22,689)
Portuguese2.3%(17,888)
Scottish2.2%(17,561)
Greek1.9%(14,691)
Swedish1.5%(11,714)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.3%(10,533)
West Indian1%(7,668)
Canadian0.8%(6,593)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(5,626)
Brazilian0.6%(4,963)
Lebanese0.6%(4,354)
Lithuanian0.5%(4,174)
Haitian0.5%(4,129)
Norwegian0.5%(3,870)
Dutch0.5%(3,790)
British0.5%(3,607)
Armenian0.4%(3,446)
Finnish0.3%(2,505)
Welsh0.3%(2,496)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,240)
Nigerian0.3%(2,135)
Jamaican0.2%(1,883)
Hungarian0.2%(1,813)
Danish0.2%(1,703)
Austrian0.2%(1,524)
Moroccan0.2%(1,299)
Czech0.1%(1,076)
Cape Verdean0.1%(995)
Swiss0.1%(924)
Romanian0.1%(856)
Kenyan0.1%(763)
Belgian0.1%(725)
Slovene0.1%(670)
Syrian0.1%(635)
Barbadian0.1%(618)
Slovak0.1%(524)
Iranian0.1%(501)
Croatian0.1%(470)
Ghanaian0.1%(445)
Turkish0.1%(437)
Latvian0.1%(411)
Palestinian0.1%(405)
Arab0%(353)
Iraqi0%(334)
Australian0%(140)
Ethiopian0%(127)
Macedonian0%(126)
Israeli0%(117)
Guyanese0%(115)
Serbian0%(110)
Jordanian0%(91)
Bulgarian0%(83)
Egyptian0%(51)
Somali0%(16)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.6%
+9.4 ptssince 2000
from 31.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
89.7%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
16.4%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 11.7% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
30.2 min
+52%since 2000
from 19.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
73.7%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 77.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
10.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.2%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 7.7% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2011
from 67.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.8%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
43.6%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 40.0% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
51.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
17.5%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.0%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 4.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.1%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
89.6%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
3.0%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 4.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
59.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.1%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.1%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
25.2%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
71.9%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
39.3%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.8%(4,328)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)12.7%(3,997)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era35.3%(11,073)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War13.3%(4,174)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II5.2%(1,646)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 31,410 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
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Head to head

Compare Essex County to nearby counties

ESSEX COUNTY VS
Suffolk County
Income$95,631+16%
Home value$705,800+62%
Population791,891−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Rockingham County
Income$118,331+44%
Home value$497,500+14%
Population324,077−61%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$130,847+59%
Home value$727,800+67%
Population1,669,979+102%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ESSEX COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739+59%
Home value$683,900+57%
Population739,749−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Essex County, Massachusetts?

Essex County, Massachusetts has about 809,829 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Essex County, Massachusetts earns about $82,225 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 $436,600, and the typical rent is about $1,298 a month.

How educated are people in Essex County, Massachusetts?

About 40.6% 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 10.1% 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 139,749 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 →