Essex County, NY

County

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2024 Population

36,973

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

49.9

0.808% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.2%

5.05% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,661

2.06% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$211,900

5.95% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

17,036

1.45% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Essex County, NY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98% of the residents in Essex County, NY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Essex County, NY are North Country Community College (198 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Essex County, NY was $211,900, and the homeownership rate was 77.3%.

Most people in Essex County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Essex County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Essex County, NY borders Clinton County, NY, Franklin County, NY, Hamilton County, NY, Warren County, NY, Washington County, NY, Addison County, VT, and Chittenden County, VT.

About the photo: Adirondak Park hike in North Elba, NY

Photo by Jonathan Miske

United States New York

Population & Diversity

Essex County, NY is home to a population of 37k people, from which 98% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.01% of Essex County, NY residents were born outside of the country (1.48k people).

In 2024, there were 48.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (33.9k people) in Essex County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 698 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 552 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98% of Essex County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Essex County, NY was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Essex County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Essex County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
33.9k ± 203
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
698 ± 84
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
552 ± 120

2.86%

Hispanic Population

1.06k people

2.86% of the people in Essex County, NY are hispanic (1.06k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Essex County, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New York.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
493,200 ± 17,027 people
China
410,969 ± 15,575 people
Jamaica
234,174 ± 11,811 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 493,200 New York residents, followed by China with 410,969 and Jamaica with 234,174.

Foreign-Born Population

4.01%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.48k people

4.07%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.51k people

As of 2024, 4.01% of Essex County, NY residents (1.48k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Essex County, NY was 4.07%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Essex County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
867 ± 166
Gulf War (2001-)
448 ± 132
Gulf War (1990s)
392 ± 123

Essex County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.94 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Essex County, NY.

Economy

The economy of Essex County, NY employs 17k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Essex County, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,724 people), Educational Services (1,881 people), and Manufacturing (1,621 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($71,375), Information ($65,417), and Public Administration ($59,198).

Employment

Occupations

17k

2024 Value

± 831

1.45%

1 Year growth

± 6.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Essex County, NY grew at a rate of 1.45%, from 16.8k employees to 17k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Essex County, NY, are Management Occupations (2,124 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,501 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,438 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Essex County, NY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New York (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

17k

2024 Value

± 831

1.45%

1 Year growth

± 6.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Essex County, NY grew at a rate of 1.45%, from 16.8k employees to 17k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Essex County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,724 people), Educational Services (1,881 people), and Manufacturing (1,621 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Essex County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Essex County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,883

Median earning men ± $3,291

$42,605

Median earning women ± $2,901

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($74,432), Public Administration ($63,571), and Manufacturing ($61,078).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($113,333), Public Administration ($54,450), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($51,563).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Y-Axis

2.74%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 9.56M people employed in New York. This represents a 2.74% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 19.7%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New York.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

123
Construction
115
Accommodation and Food Services
76
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$101k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$99.9k
Construction
$89.5k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Essex County, NY awarded 198 degrees. The student population of Essex County, NY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 574 male students and 1,041 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Essex County, NY are White (154 and 78.6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (10 and 5.1%), Black or African American (10 and 5.1%), and Unknown (8 and 4.08%).

The largest universities in Essex County, NY by number of degrees awarded are North Country Community College (198 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Essex County, NY are Registered Nursing (50 and 25.3%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (44 and 22.2%), and Entrepreneurial Studies (26 and 13.1%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,615 students enrolled in Essex County, NY, 35.5% men and 64.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,280 records, of which 69.1% were women and 30.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
50 degrees awarded
Entrepreneurial Studies
26 degrees awarded
Humanistic Studies
16 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Essex County, NY was Registered Nursing with 50 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Essex County, NY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

North Country Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

198 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was North Country Community College with 198 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 59 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Essex County, NY, which is 0.424 times less than the 139 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 154 degrees mean that there were 15.4 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, American Indian or Alaska Native, with 10 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($5,280) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,282) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Essex County, NY was $211,900 in 2024, which is 0.637 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $200,000 to $211,900, a 5.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Essex County, NY is 77.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Essex County, NY have an average commute time of 22.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Essex County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Essex County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.79%.

Housing

Property

$211,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,846

$12,625

Median Property Taxes

±$622

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Essex County, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Essex County, NY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.3%

Homeownership

2024

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.3% of the housing units in Essex County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 78.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Essex County, NY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$71,661

Median Household Income

± $4,292

16.3k

Number of Households

± 798

In 2024, the median household income of the 16.3k households in Essex County, NY grew to $71,661 from the previous year's value of $70,215.

The following chart displays the households in Essex County, NY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Essex County, NY is from New York.

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

0.494

2022 Wage GINI in New York

In 2023, the income inequality in New York was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0797% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New York in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New York across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.3%)
Worked At Home (13.2%)
Carpooled (10.8%)

In 2024, 70.3% of workers in Essex County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.2%) and those who carpooled to work (10.8%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Essex County, NY have a shorter commute time (22.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.68% of the workforce in Essex County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Essex County, NY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Essex County, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Essex County, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Essex County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.79%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Essex County, NY (3.93k out of 35k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Males 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Essex County, NY is White, followed by Two Or More and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 16.5% of the children was living in poverty in Essex County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.9%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 167 in Essex County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 37.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

95% of the population of Essex County, NY has health coverage, with 38.8% on employee plans, 18.5% on Medicaid, 20.5% on Medicare, 16% on non-group plans, and 1.26% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Essex County, NY see 1,961 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,961 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3691 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 490 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,961 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Essex County, NY

Primary care physicians in Essex County, NY see an average of 1,961 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,961 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Essex County, NY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17% under 18 years, 15.7% between 18 and 34 years, 40.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 26.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

Uninsured

38.8%

Employer Coverage

18.5%

Medicaid

20.5%

Medicare

16%

Non-Group

1.26%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Essex County, NY grew by 6.9% from 4.68% to 5%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Essex County, NY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 46.4 in Essex County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Essex County, NY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 36% in Essex County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Essex County, NY.