Essex, MD

Census Place

2024 Population

40,580

US Senator

Chris Van Hollen

Democratic Party

US Senator

Angela Alsobrooks

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.8

2.2% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.6%

0.307% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$67,168

0.128% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Essex, MD is home to a population of 40.6k people, from which 97.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 8.3% of Essex, MD residents were born outside of the country (3.37k people).

In 2024, there were 1.87 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (22.2k people) in Essex, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.27k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Essex, MD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Essex, MD was 97.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Essex, MD

White (Non-Hispanic)
22.2k ± 1.48k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11.9k ± 1.75k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.27k ± 554

6.22%

Hispanic Population

2.52k people

6.22% of the people in Essex, MD are hispanic (2.52k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Maryland.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
133,677 ± 8,879 people
India
61,989 ± 6,082 people
Nigeria
50,832 ± 5,513 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maryland was El Salvador, the natal country of 133,677 Maryland residents, followed by India with 61,989 and Nigeria with 50,832.

Foreign-Born Population

8.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.37k people

8.35%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.4k people

As of 2024, 8.3% of Essex, MD residents (3.37k 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, MD was 8.35%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
592 ± 144
Gulf War (1990s)
467 ± 180
Gulf War (2001-)
418 ± 201

Essex, MD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Essex, MD employs 20.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Essex, MD were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,131 people), Retail Trade (2,331 people), and Educational Services (1,926 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($83,405), Public Administration ($82,824), and Finance & Insurance ($73,609).

Employment

Occupations

20.2k

2024 Value

± 1,366

−2.85%

1 Year decline

± 9.83%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Essex, MD declined at a rate of −2.85%, from 20.8k employees to 20.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Essex, MD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,503 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,036 people), and Management Occupations (1,824 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Essex, MD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Maryland (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

20.2k

2024 Value

± 1,366

−2.85%

1 Year decline

± 9.83%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Essex, MD declined at a rate of −2.85%, from 20.8k employees to 20.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Essex, MD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,131 people), Retail Trade (2,331 people), and Educational Services (1,926 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Essex, MD, though some of these residents may live in Essex, MD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,256

Median earning men ± $3,978

$41,008

Median earning women ± $1,493

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($111,094), Information ($110,032), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($83,229).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($59,252), Manufacturing ($55,208), and Construction ($51,859).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Essex, MD was $258,900 in 2024, which is 0.778 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $253,500 to $258,900, a 2.13% increase. The homeownership rate in Essex, MD is 61.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Essex, MD have an average commute time of 29.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Essex, MD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$258,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,801

$9,846

Median Property Taxes

±$805

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, MD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

61.3%

Homeownership

2024

63.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.3% of the housing units in Essex, MD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 57.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Essex, MD 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.

$67,168

Median Household Income

± $4,111

16.1k

Number of Households

± 1,131

In 2024, the median household income of the 16.1k households in Essex, MD grew to $67,168 from the previous year's value of $67,082.

The following chart displays the households in Essex, MD 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, MD is from Maryland.

0.448

2024 Wage GINI in Maryland

0.451

2023 Wage GINI in Maryland

In 2024, the income inequality in Maryland was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.523% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Maryland was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Maryland in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.1%)
Carpooled (12.1%)
Worked At Home (7.5%)

In 2024, 73.1% of workers in Essex, MD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.1%) and those who worked at home (7.5%).

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

29.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Essex, MD have a longer commute time (29.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.19% of the workforce in Essex, MD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Essex, MD (5.07k out of 40.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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