Essex County, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Essex County, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Massachusetts
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 810,585 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 978.6 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.66% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 310,636 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Essex County grew by 6.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 810,585 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Essex County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.9% of residents. That is 0.8 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 165,133 20.4% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 169,494 20.9% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 177,334 21.9% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 141,828 17.5% +0.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.5% of the people living in Essex County and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 48.5% Massachusetts 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Essex County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Essex County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $102,063 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Essex County is about 2% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $550,714 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,755 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 63.4% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Essex County is about 26.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,755 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Essex County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.3 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.7 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,028 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.4% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,585 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,726 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Massachusetts:
Nantucket County (12.8 min), Dukes County (15.4 min), Berkshire County (16.8 min).
Slowest:
Norfolk County (31.0 min), Suffolk County (30.4 min), Middlesex County (28.4 min).
The average commute time in Essex County is 23 minutes, shorter than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Essex County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.7% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.5), Norfolk County (0.4), Nantucket County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.3), Bristol County (0.3), Berkshire County (0.3).
Health
Essex County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.8% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.8), Hampshire County (0.8), Norfolk County (0.8).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.8), Bristol County (0.8), Worcester County (0.8).
Essex County, MA Compared With Nearby Counties
Essex County, MA is typical in size for this group, 810,585 residents against a local median of 729,949, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Essex County, MA's commute, at 23.3 min, runs 18% below the 28.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.2 min on commute, so Essex County, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Essex County, MA has the lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 810,585 | $102,063 #5/6 | $550,714 #4/6 | 23.3 min #1/6 |
| Suffolk County, MA | 779,263 | $95,719 | $753,442 | 30.4 min |
| Rockingham County, NH | 319,036 | $118,478 | $476,549 | 25.8 min |
| Middlesex County, MA | 1,636,094 | $131,269 | $718,434 | 28.4 min |
| Norfolk County, MA | 729,949 | $131,149 | $597,016 | 31.0 min |
| Plymouth County, MA | 534,586 | $114,939 | $463,963 | 28.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Essex County, Massachusetts.
How big is Essex County, Massachusetts by population?
About 810,585 people live in Essex County, Massachusetts, in 310,636 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Essex County, Massachusetts mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Essex County, Massachusetts has 979 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 11 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Essex County, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 5.4 times the median household income ($550,714 against $102,063), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,755 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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