Essex County
Massachusetts · Pop. 809,829
Ranked #169 of 200 counties
28Crisis
Median Home Price
🏠$550K
4.0% YoY
Median Rent
🔑$2,000
Median Income
💰$85K
Rent Burden
📊31.0%
% of income to rent
Housing Shortage
🏗️5,000
estimated unit deficit
Building Permits (2024)
📋2,800
Price-to-Income Ratio
⚖️6.5x
Homeownership Rate
🏡62.5%
How Essex County Compares
| Metric | Essex County | Massachusetts | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Price | $550K | $571K | $410K |
| Rent | $2,000 | $1,757 | $1,500 |
| Income | $85K | $100K | $75K |
| Rent Burden | 31.0% | 36.5% | 30.0% |
| Homeownership | 62.5% | 62.0% | 65.0% |
Key Takeaways
- • Home prices are 34% above the national average.
- • Rent is 33% above the national average.
- • The county has an estimated housing shortage of 5,000 units.
- • 2,800 building permits were issued in 2024.
- • Year-over-year home prices changed by 4.0%.