HomeMassachusettsEssex County
Essex County, Massachusetts: commercial real estate data.
Essex County, Massachusetts has a population of 813,054 across 493 square miles, up 1.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $60.73 bn in 2024, 19,988 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,569 7(a) approvals worth $375.1 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Essex County
How many people live in Essex County
- Population813,054
- Households313,147
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$101,883
- Median age41.2
- Median gross rent$1,756 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$619,100
- Home value to household income6.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher43.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree17.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over572,037
- Population under 18169,485
- Share under 1820.8 percent
- Population 65 and over150,106
- Share 65 and over18.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64493,463
- Civilian labor force448,303
- Unemployment rate5.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.7 percent
- Rank by population among Massachusetts counties3rd of 14
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents78th
Essex County is the 3rd largest of 14 Massachusetts counties by population. A median home costs 6.1 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.8 percent against 18.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Essex County
Is Essex County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.73 percent
- Census 2020 base population809,940
- Births, 20248,443
- Deaths, 20247,173
- Natural change, 20241,270
- Net domestic migration, 2024-3,226
- Net international migration, 20249,656
- Total net migration, 20246,430
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-16,761
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1265th
The county has grown 1.73 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Essex County
Where people moving to Essex County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving16,804
- People arriving, from those returns26,156
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.79 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$106,455
- Largest single originEssex County Non-migrants (332,703 households)
- Largest single destination (332,703 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County Non-migrants | 332,703 | 636,319 | $42.46 bn |
| Middlesex County | 5,431 | 8,646 | $582.0 m |
| Suffolk County | 2,962 | 4,795 | $330.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 2,493 | 3,896 | $258.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 990 | 1,595 | $91.8 m |
| Rockingham County | 851 | 1,268 | $64.8 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 732 | 1,110 | $67.6 m |
| Norfolk County | 552 | 829 | $84.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Essex County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Essex County
What the Essex County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$60.73 bn
- County GDP, 2023$58.25 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.3 percent
- GDP change over five years29.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Massachusetts counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents98th
- GDP per resident$74,697
Output grew 4.3 percent in the latest year and 29.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Essex County
Who employs people in Essex County
- Covered employment, annual average323,694
- Establishments reporting28,628
- Average annual pay$75,548
- Average weekly wage$1,453
- Sector 62, employment64,038
- Sector 62, average annual pay$61,998
- Sector 31-33, employment39,526
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$109,328
- Sector 44-45, employment34,981
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$42,998
- Sector 72, employment28,875
- Sector 72, average annual pay$32,136
- Sector 54, employment17,386
- Sector 23, employment17,091
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 64,038 | 9,524 | $61,998 |
| Sector 31-33 | 39,526 | 832 | $109,328 |
| Sector 44-45 | 34,981 | 2,289 | $42,998 |
| Sector 72 | 28,875 | 1,702 | $32,136 |
| Sector 54 | 17,386 | 2,802 | $135,143 |
| Sector 23 | 17,091 | 2,389 | $93,526 |
| Sector 56 | 16,503 | 1,403 | $60,343 |
| Sector 81 | 12,441 | 2,156 | $42,886 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 64,038 jobs, 19.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Essex County
What businesses operate in Essex County
- Establishments, all industries19,988
- Employment at those establishments287,960
- Annual payroll$19.51 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Essex County
What is being built in Essex County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,011
- Declared construction value permitted$289.6 m
- Single family units authorised393
- Multifamily units authorised618
- Multifamily share of units61.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$286,430
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.2
Multifamily is 61.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Essex County
How much SBA lending happens in Essex County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,569
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$375.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$239,066
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$500,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12,961
- Jobs per approval8.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active92
- Distinct industries receiving approvals324
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer4.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms66
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1,480
- Franchise loans75
- Franchise share of approvals4.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (72)
- Most active lenderEastern Bank (447)
- 504 approvals recorded642
- 504 gross approval dollars$344.2 m
- Average 504 approval$536,168
- Median 504 approval$342,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval7.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.0
- Most active CDCBay Colony Development Corporation (271)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals71.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$719.3 m
The average approval of $239,066 sits well above the median of $100,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 4.2 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Essex County
Do SBA loans in Essex County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded330
- Paid in full306
- Charged off24
- Charge off rate on resolved loans7.3 percent
- Status: Paid in full306
- Status: Charged off24
- Status: Exempt from disclosure962
- Status: Cancelled174
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed103
| NAICS | Industry | Resolved loans | Charged off | Charge off rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| 812112 | Beauty Salons | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
Of the 330 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.3 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong. Among industries with at least ten resolved loans, Full-Service Restaurants carries the highest charge off rate at 7.7 percent.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Essex County
Which parts of Essex County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending41
- LAWRENCE, approvals141
- Salem, approvals132
- Beverly, approvals128
- PEABODY, approvals126
- LYNN, approvals105
- METHUEN, approvals103
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| LAWRENCE | 141 | $35,179,300 |
| Salem | 132 | $16,157,900 |
| Beverly | 128 | $28,797,000 |
| PEABODY | 126 | $27,147,600 |
| LYNN | 105 | $20,848,900 |
| METHUEN | 103 | $28,519,500 |
| Haverhill | 88 | $19,942,100 |
| DANVERS | 86 | $31,206,200 |
LAWRENCE accounts for 141 approvals against 132 in Salem. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Essex County
How big is Essex County
- Land area493 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Massachusetts counties9th of 14
- Width, east to west33.8 mi
- Height, north to south32.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land1,649
- Establishments per square mile40.54
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Essex County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Essex County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population813,054
- Households313,147
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$101,883
- Median age41.2
Common questions
Essex County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Essex County, Massachusetts?
813,054, in 313,147 households, ranking 3rd of 14 Massachusetts counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Essex County growing?
The population has grown 1.73 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 8,443 births against 7,173 deaths, with net migration of 6,430. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Essex County?
$101,883. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $619,100, which is 6.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,756 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Essex County?
19,988 establishments, employing 287,960 people with an annual payroll of $19.51 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Essex County?
Average annual pay is $75,548, or $1,453 a week, across 323,694 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Essex County?
1,569 7(a) approvals totalling $375.1 m since FY2020, across 92 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 642 504 approvals worth $344.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Essex County get paid back?
Of the 330 loans that have reached a final outcome, 306 were paid in full and 24 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Essex County?
1,011 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $289.6 m. Multifamily was 61.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Essex County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Essex County come from?
The largest single origin is Essex County Non-migrants, with 332,703 households. Arriving households report an average income of $106,455 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Essex County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Essex County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.