Essex County, New Jersey Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Essex County, NJ 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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B
Health Around averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in New Jersey
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C
Income Below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in New Jersey
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Essex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 861,155 | 9,334,304 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 6658.4 | 1071.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.08% | 0.59% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.4 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 319,107 | 3,503,323 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Essex County grew by 11.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 861,155 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Essex County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.0% of residents. That is 1.3 points above New Jersey as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 182,646 21.2% +1.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 198,398 23.0% +1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 181,127 21.0% -0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 121,037 14.1% -2.8 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 New Jersey, 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 51.4% of the people living in Essex County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% New Jersey 50.9%
- Men 48.6% New Jersey 49.1%
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 C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Essex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,239 | $103,817 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.97% | 4.37% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.7% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Essex County is about 22% lower than in New Jersey.
Housing
| Metric | Essex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $295,435 | $352,792 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,531 | $1,719 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 44.9% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Essex County is about 16.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,531 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Essex County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Essex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 26.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.6 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 218 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,825 | $6,764 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.1% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,059 | 14,317 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,191 | 2,109 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Jersey:
Cape May County (18.1 min), Cumberland County (21.2 min), Atlantic County (21.6 min).
Slowest:
Hudson County (32.7 min), Sussex County (32.6 min), Hunterdon County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Essex County is 30 minutes, longer than the 26 minutes in New Jersey.
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 | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.8% | 39.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.63 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Jersey:
Somerset County (0.4), Morris County (0.4), Hunterdon County (0.4).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.2), Salem County (0.2), Passaic County (0.3).
Health
Essex County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Essex County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.1 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.3% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.5% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Jersey:
Morris County (0.8), Hunterdon County (0.8), Somerset County (0.8).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.8), Salem County (0.8), Passaic County (0.8).
Essex County, NJ Compared With Nearby Counties
Essex County, NJ is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 861,155 residents against a local median of 578,268. Essex County, NJ's median home price, at $295,435, runs 32% below the $435,289 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $81,239 against a local median of $98,311, 17% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 17% below the local median it puts Essex County, NJ at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $216,657 on median home price, so Essex County, NJ sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Essex County, NJ has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, NJ | 861,155 | $81,239 #6/6 | $295,435 #6/6 | 30.3 min #4/6 |
| Union County, NJ | 578,268 | $104,008 | $435,289 | 26.1 min |
| Hudson County, NJ | 717,070 | $92,989 | $432,092 | 32.7 min |
| Bergen County, NJ | 960,507 | $124,895 | $592,908 | 27.0 min |
| Richmond County, NY | 494,794 | $98,311 | $552,254 | 35.5 min |
| Passaic County, NJ | 520,457 | $88,196 | $376,251 | 22.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Essex County, New Jersey.
What is the population of Essex County, New Jersey?
About 861,155 people live in Essex County, New Jersey, in 319,107 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 35.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Essex County, New Jersey mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Essex County, New Jersey has 6,658 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 77 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Essex County, New Jersey?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($295,435 against $81,239), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,531 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Essex County, New Jersey?
Unemployment in Essex County, New Jersey is 8.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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