Population 3,561 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Essex
Household size in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.60 | 2.54 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.52 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.56 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.73 | 2.55 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.13 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
At 2.73 people per household, Essex sits close to the national average of 2.65. The typical household here is bigger than in the Boston area as a whole, where it has 2.55 people. Household size has climbed from 2.60 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.2 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 45.8 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 45.1 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 46.2 | 40.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.0 | +1.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Essex skews older: half of its residents are older than 46.2, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.0% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 4.1% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 5.7% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.2% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +5.2 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 8.2% of households in Essex, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Essex
Renters in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.7% | 36.8% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 31.8% | 38.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 18.2% | 38.3% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 25.0% | 38.4% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.7 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
About a quarter of households in Essex rent their homes (25.0%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Nearly three in ten owners (28.9%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.5% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.8% | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 15.2% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.6% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +3.1 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Essex: 15.6% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1950 | 1958 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1953 | 1959 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1956 | 1961 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1968 | 1964 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +18 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Essex is a place of older homes: half were built before 1968, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. The Boston area as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,142 | $1,171 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,194 | $1,251 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,148 | $1,537 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,013 | $2,051 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$871 | +$881 | +$775 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Essex costs $2,013 a month with utilities, well above the national median of $1,571. That is in line with the rest of the Boston area. The typical renter here spends 34.2% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Essex
Bachelor's degrees in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.2% | 42.2% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 43.4% | 44.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 58.3% | 48.2% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 68.8% | 51.9% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +23.6 pts | +9.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Essex is highly educated: about seven in ten adults 25 and older (68.8%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 93.8% | 89.8% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 94.0% | 90.6% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 98.1% | 91.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 98.1% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.3 pts | +2.1 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Essex: 98.1% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Essex
| Period | Essex | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.1% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.0% | 8.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.1% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.4% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.8 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Essex has been low: just 1.4% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Essex compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 2.73 | 46.2 | 8.2% | 25.0% | 15.6% | 1968 | $2,013 | 68.8% | 98.1% | 1.4% |
| South Essex | 2.55 | 50.2 | 9.4% | 26.8% | 26.0% | 1983 | $1,875 | 74.5% | 100.0% | 0.0% |
| Little Neck | 2.36 | 51.9 | 8.6% | 37.5% | 15.7% | 1977 | $1,566 | 63.7% | 98.2% | 1.8% |
| Manchester | 2.55 | 49.6 | 5.2% | 24.2% | 6.1% | 1953 | $1,886 | 79.1% | 98.1% | 8.9% |
| Manchester-By-The-Sea | 2.61 | 43.6 | 6.0% | 33.3% | 3.4% | 1962 | $1,798 | 71.0% | 97.0% | 5.7% |
| South Hamilton | 2.82 | 45.4 | 6.0% | 15.3% | 7.5% | 1959 | $2,200 | 69.1% | 97.4% | 3.1% |
| Ipswich | 2.45 | 47.6 | 5.4% | 26.3% | 8.7% | 1960 | $1,662 | 60.4% | 98.6% | 2.5% |
| Wenham | 2.86 | 33.0 | 8.3% | 13.9% | 5.9% | 1967 | $2,071 | 70.1% | 99.5% | 2.6% |
| Gloucester | 2.25 | 49.9 | 8.1% | 36.1% | 10.3% | 1952 | $1,338 | 39.6% | 93.4% | 6.4% |
| Beverly | 2.40 | 40.9 | 10.5% | 39.7% | 5.4% | 1961 | $1,685 | 54.8% | 96.6% | 4.9% |
| Rowley | 2.57 | 48.3 | 8.6% | 18.4% | 5.2% | 1973 | $1,706 | 56.9% | 99.6% | 3.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Burnham, IL · Carrollton, MO · Carroll, OH · Carbondale, CA · Micanopy, FL · Minocqua, WI · Mohawk, NY · Monroe, IA · Montauk, NY · Marion, NY
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Essex. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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