Essex County, New Jersey

15 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 854,130
Median household income: $76,712
Median home value: $494,400

Home to 854,130 residents, Essex County is one of New Jersey's counties. 15 cities and places have their primary county here. Its median household income of $76,712 runs below the New Jersey figure of $101,050.

From 2019 to 2023, Essex County's population grew 7.4% from 795,404 to 854,130, while its median household income rose 24.7% from $61,510 to $76,712.

Black or African American residents are the largest group, 36.0% of the population. 53.9% of workers drive to work alone.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 854,130
Median age: 37.7 yrs
Median household income: $76,712
Median home value: $494,400
Median gross rent: $1,459
Housing units: 335,550
Homeownership rate: 44.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 37.9%
Unemployment rate: 8.3%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

795,404854,130

Median household income

$61,510$76,712

Median home value

$386,000$494,400

Median gross rent

$1,178$1,459

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	795,404	$61,510	$386,000	$1,178
2020	798,698	$63,959	$395,900	$1,211
2021	852,720	$67,826	$414,000	$1,279
2022	853,374	$73,785	$466,500	$1,404
2023	854,130	$76,712	$494,400	$1,459

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 56.3%

5 to 1717.4%

18 to 248.9%

25 to 3413.5%

35 to 4414.1%

45 to 5413.6%

55 to 6412.2%

65 to 748.2%

75 and over5.7%

	Count	Share
Under 5	53,778	6.3%
5 to 17	148,541	17.4%
18 to 24	75,823	8.9%
25 to 34	115,572	13.5%
35 to 44	120,576	14.1%
45 to 54	115,952	13.6%
55 to 64	104,505	12.2%
65 to 74	70,370	8.2%
75 and over	49,013	5.7%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	238,415	27.9%
Black or African American	307,823	36.0%
American Indian & Alaska Native	1,224	0.1%
Asian	48,998	5.7%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	192	0.0%
Some other race	12,186	1.4%
Two or more races	34,568	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	210,724	24.7%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma13.2%

High school graduate27.7%

Some college or associate's21.2%

Bachelor's degree22.0%

Graduate or professional degree15.9%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	76,050	13.2%
High school graduate	159,352	27.7%
Some college or associate's	122,356	21.2%
Bachelor's degree	126,748	22.0%
Graduate or professional degree	91,482	15.9%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 34 min

Drove alone53.9%

Carpooled8.0%

Public transit16.2%

Walked3.1%

Bicycle0.2%

Worked from home14.2%

Other means4.5%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	213,923	53.9%
Carpooled	31,644	8.0%
Public transit	64,322	16.2%
Walked	12,188	3.1%
Bicycle	657	0.2%
Worked from home	56,486	14.2%
Other means	17,997	4.5%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	50,070	14.7%
15 to 29 min	112,608	33.0%
30 to 44 min	84,709	24.9%
45 to 59 min	31,997	9.4%
60+ min	61,347	18.0%

Households

Average household size: 2.62
Poverty rate: 15.0% (125,419 of 834,461)

	Count	Share
Family households	203,865	64.2%
Nonfamily households	113,608	35.8%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1958

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	317,473	94.6%
Vacant	18,077	5.4%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	141,377	44.5%
Renter-occupied	176,096	55.5%

1-unit, detached32.8%

1-unit, attached7.7%

2 to 4 units28.3%

5 to 19 units11.7%

20 or more units19.3%

Mobile home & other0.2%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	109,985	32.8%
1-unit, attached	25,885	7.7%
2 to 4 units	94,951	28.3%
5 to 19 units	39,365	11.7%
20 or more units	64,648	19.3%
Mobile home & other	716	0.2%

Geography

County GEOID: 34013
State: New Jersey
Land area: 126 sq mi
Water area: 3.34 sq mi
Center point: 40.7874, -74.2463