Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Essex County, NJ

The map below shows majority race by area in Essex County, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Essex County racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.

Essex County, NJ map of race and ethnicity
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White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Multiple/Other
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area

The majority race in Essex County overall is black, making up 36.4% of residents. The next most-common racial group is white at 26.6%. There are more black people in the south areas of the county. People who identify as white are most likely to be living in the northwest places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:

Race in Essex County

 
Self-Identified Race
Essex County, NJ Population
White
26.6%
Hispanic
25.0%
Black
36.4%
Asian
6.0%
Native American
0.1%
Other
5.9%
   

Diversity and Diversity Scores for Essex County, NJ

The map below shows diversity in Essex County. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the county would both be considered lacking diversity.

Essex County, NJ map of race and ethnicity
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Essex County Diversity Score

72.7

More diverse than 99% of US counties

Essex County has a diversity score of 72.7: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Essex County is much more diverse than other US counties, more diverse than 99% of them. Within Essex County's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is southeast Essex County, and the least diverse areas are in south Essex County.

Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.

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