New York · GEOID 36031

Essex County

2024 ACS 5-year estimates · population 36,973 · 25,484 housing units

Median household income

$71,661

State $89,823

Median home value

$211,900

State $488,843

Median gross rent

$934

State $1,707

Homeownership rate

77.3%

State 54.3%

Renter cost-burden rate

47.0%

≥30% of income

Owner cost-burden rate

19.8%

≥30% of income

Homeowner vacancy

1.2%

Of owner-occupied + for-sale units

Rental vacancy

7.8%

Of renter-occupied + for-rent units

Overall vacancy

35.9%

All housing units

Price-to-income ratio

2.96

Affordable: 2.0–3.0

Section 1

Community Profile

Population, demographics, household composition, and income.

Community Data Summary

	Essex County	New York
Population	36,973	19,852,366
Population density (per sq. mi.)	20.61	—
Median household income	$71,661	$89,823
HUD Area Median Income (4-person, 100%)	$94,200	—
Households	16,342	—
Average household size	2.12 people	—
Owner-occupied	77.3%	54.3%
Renter-occupied	22.7%	45.7%
Race	92.7% White · 2.2% Black	0.0% White · 0.0% Black

Source: ACS 5-year 2024 (Tables DP05, S1101, DP04, S1901) and Census Gazetteer (land area); HUD FY2026 Income Limits.

Racial composition

Essex County compared with New York.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP05.

Educational attainment (population 25+)

32.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher (state: 40.2%).

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1501.

Median Household Income by Tenure

Owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied household income, county and state.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25119.

Median Household Income by Age of Householder

Median household income by age group of householder.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B19049.

Median Household Income by Number of Earners

Median household income for families with each earner count.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903.

Household Size

Distribution of households by number of people.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2501.

Income by Number of Earners

Earners	Share	Median income	Attainable monthly housing cost	Attainable home
0 earners	21.1%	$63,416	$1,585	$205,036
1 earner	30.6%	$57,411	$1,435	$182,684
2 earners	37.4%	$117,720	$2,943	$407,174
3+ earners	10.9%	$152,543	$3,814	$536,797

Attainable monthly housing cost = 30% of gross income ÷ 12. Attainable home price assumes 30% housing budget, 30-yr mortgage at 7%, 5% down.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903; affordability formula derived.

Households

16,342

Average size: 2.12 people

Households with children

3,369

20.6% of households

Per-capita income

$42,694

Poverty rate: 10.7%

Section 2

Residential Market Analysis

Housing stock characteristics — tenure, type, age, size, vacancy, rents.

Tenure

77.3% owner-occupied vs. state average 54.3%.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Structure type

Single-family share 80.7% · Missing middle (2–19 units) 11.5%.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25024.

Housing stock by decade

61.5% built before 1980 · Median structure age 1,969.00 yrs.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2504.

Housing size mismatch

Compares the share of housing units by bedroom count against the share of households by size — a common diagnostic of housing supply/demand alignment.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Tables B25041 (bedrooms) and S2501 (household size).

Home value distribution

Owner-occupied homes by value bracket. Median: $211,900.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Monthly Housing Costs

Distribution of monthly housing costs across all occupied units.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25104.

Number of Bedrooms

Housing units by number of bedrooms.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25041.

Median rent by bedroom

Overall median gross rent: $934.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25031.

Renters by age

Number of renter householders by age bracket.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Owners by age

Number of owner householders by age bracket.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Vacancy composition

All 9,142 vacant units split into Census's seven categories. Frictional vacancy (units actively on the market) reflects healthy churn. Structural vacancy (seasonal, migrant, other) sits outside the market for year-round residents — high values change how the headline vacancy rate should be read.

Vacant units by type

For sale 1.7% · For rent 3.5% · Seasonal 78.5% · Other 15.4%.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Frictional vs structural

5.6% of vacancy is frictional (for sale + for rent + rented/sold not yet occupied); 94.4% is structural (seasonal + migrant + other).

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Seasonal / recreational share of all housing

28.2%

7,181 units of 25,484 total

⚑ Above the 10% threshold — meaningful pressure on year-round residents from second-home / short-term-rental demand.

"Other vacant" share of all housing

5.5%

1,409 units of 25,484 total

⚑ Above the 5% threshold — possible indicator of disinvestment, abandonment, or condemned stock.

Section 3

Workforce Housing Needs Assessment

Affordability, cost burden, and the housing options for households in the workforce income range.

Workforce range — ACS median household income

80% MHI$57,329

100% MHI$71,661

120% MHI$85,993

County-wide median from ACS 5-year estimates. A household at 100% MHI in Essex County should be able to afford a home up to roughly — (30% housing budget, default mortgage terms).

Workforce range — HUD Area Median Income

	1-person	2-person	4-person
80% AMI	$52,750	$60,300	$75,350
100% AMI	$65,940	$75,360	$94,200
120% AMI	$79,150	$90,450	$113,050

HUD FMR Area: Essex County, NY. 80% AMI uses HUD's published Section 8 Low Income Limits; 100% is HUD MFI; 120% is the standard workforce convention.

Affordability calculator

Follows the standard 30%-of-gross-income affordability rule.

Income basis Household income Interest rate % Down payment % Taxes & insurance / yr

Affordable monthly—

Affordable home price—

Renter cost burden

47.0% of renter households spend ≥30% of income on rent (23.0% spend ≥50%).

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25070.

Owner cost burden by income

19.8% of homeowners spend ≥30% of income on housing. Bars show counts of cost-burdened owners by income bracket.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25106.

Household income — owners vs renters

Distribution of household income for owner-occupied (navy) and renter-occupied (gold) households.

Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25118.

Section 4

Industry & Workforce Wages

Employment, average wages, and the housing each industry's typical earner can afford in Essex County.

Covered employment

13,821

Across 21 sectors

Establishments

1,333

QCEW 2024

Avg annual pay (workforce)

$59,664

Employment-weighted across sectors

Top 10 sectors by employment

Annual average employment by NAICS 2-digit sector. Counties with fewer than five covered establishments in a sector may show suppressed totals.

Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024.

Attainable housing by industry

Industry	Employment	Avg annual wage	Affordable home price	vs. median value	Affordable monthly rent
NAICS 72 Accommodation and food services NAICS 72	2,535	$36,367	$104,351	−$107,549	$909
NAICS 92 Public administration NAICS 92	2,065	$87,045	$292,992	+$81,092	$2,176
NAICS 44-45 Retail trade NAICS 44-45	1,745	$36,881	$106,264	−$105,636	$922
NAICS 62 Health care and social assistance NAICS 62	1,740	$54,814	$173,017	−$38,883	$1,370
NAICS 61 Educational services NAICS 61	1,308	$55,393	$175,172	−$36,728	$1,385
NAICS 23 Construction NAICS 23	1,030	$101,717	$347,606	+$135,706	$2,543
NAICS 31-33 Manufacturing NAICS 31-33	879	$84,898	$285,000	+$73,100	$2,122
NAICS 81 Other services (except public administration) NAICS 81	473	$45,490	$138,310	−$73,590	$1,137
NAICS 71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation NAICS 71	465	$41,134	$122,095	−$89,805	$1,028
NAICS 54 Professional, scientific, and technical services NAICS 54	293	$89,255	$301,218	+$89,318	$2,231
NAICS 56 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services NAICS 56	265	$49,597	$153,597	−$58,303	$1,240
NAICS 52 Finance and insurance NAICS 52	178	$66,390	$216,107	+$4,207	$1,660
NAICS 53 Real estate and rental and leasing NAICS 53	128	$43,064	$129,279	−$82,621	$1,077
NAICS 51 Information NAICS 51	126	$46,116	$140,640	−$71,260	$1,153
NAICS 48-49 Transportation and warehousing NAICS 48-49	123	$56,857	$180,622	−$31,278	$1,421
NAICS 42 Wholesale trade NAICS 42	119	$79,456	$264,743	+$52,843	$1,986
NAICS 11 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting NAICS 11	117	$41,725	$124,295	−$87,605	$1,043
NAICS 55 Management of companies and enterprises NAICS 55	84	$51,043	$158,980	−$52,920	$1,276
NAICS 21 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction NAICS 21	72	$78,634	$261,683	+$49,783	$1,966
NAICS 99 Unclassified NAICS 99	46	$39,326	$115,365	−$96,535	$983
NAICS 22 Utilities NAICS 22	30	$164,496	$581,290	+$369,390	$4,112

Subsector	Employment	Avg annual wage	Affordable home price	vs. median value	Affordable monthly rent
NAICS 721 Accommodation NAICS 721	1,352	$41,832	$124,693	−$87,207	$1,046
NAICS 611 Educational services NAICS 611	1,308	$55,393	$175,172	−$36,728	$1,385
NAICS 722 Food services and drinking places NAICS 722	1,183	$30,120	$81,097	−$130,803	$753
NAICS 921 Executive, legislative, and other general government support NAICS 921	1,105	$49,340	$152,641	−$59,259	$1,234
NAICS 623 Nursing and residential care facilities NAICS 623	723	$50,253	$156,039	−$55,861	$1,256
NAICS 922 Justice, public order, and safety activities NAICS 922	593	$145,283	$509,773	+$297,873	$3,632
NAICS 237 Heavy and civil engineering construction NAICS 237	451	$160,543	$566,576	+$354,676	$4,014
NAICS 621 Ambulatory health care services NAICS 621	409	$53,332	$167,500	−$44,400	$1,333
NAICS 445 Food and beverage retailers NAICS 445	387	$29,876	$80,189	−$131,711	$747
NAICS 713 Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries NAICS 713	349	$41,258	$122,557	−$89,343	$1,031
NAICS 455 General merchandise retailers NAICS 455	337	$30,493	$82,486	−$129,414	$762
NAICS 813 Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations NAICS 813	336	$48,436	$149,276	−$62,624	$1,211
NAICS 238 Specialty trade contractors NAICS 238	305	$57,539	$183,160	−$28,740	$1,438
NAICS 541 Professional, scientific, and technical services NAICS 541	293	$89,255	$301,218	+$89,318	$2,231
NAICS 236 Construction of buildings NAICS 236	274	$54,067	$170,236	−$41,664	$1,352
NAICS 459 Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers NAICS 459	227	$30,825	$83,722	−$128,178	$771
NAICS 444 Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers NAICS 444	224	$46,138	$140,722	−$71,178	$1,153
NAICS 457 Gasoline stations and fuel dealers NAICS 457	223	$42,057	$125,531	−$86,369	$1,051
NAICS 924 Administration of environmental quality programs NAICS 924	218	$96,974	$329,951	+$118,051	$2,424
NAICS 561 Administrative and support services NAICS 561	218	$48,528	$149,618	−$62,282	$1,213
NAICS 441 Motor vehicle and parts dealers NAICS 441	178	$47,477	$145,706	−$66,194	$1,187
NAICS 926 Administration of economic programs NAICS 926	124	$129,708	$451,798	+$239,898	$3,243
NAICS 522 Credit intermediation and related activities NAICS 522	120	$64,473	$208,971	−$2,929	$1,612
NAICS 456 Health and personal care retailers NAICS 456	116	$47,734	$146,663	−$65,237	$1,193
NAICS 531 Real estate NAICS 531	110	$37,559	$108,788	−$103,112	$939
NAICS 424 Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods NAICS 424	91	$66,542	$216,672	+$4,772	$1,664
NAICS 712 Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions NAICS 712	90	$40,436	$119,497	−$92,403	$1,011
NAICS 551 Management of companies and enterprises NAICS 551	84	$51,043	$158,980	−$52,920	$1,276
NAICS 312 Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing NAICS 312	77	$30,375	$82,047	−$129,853	$759
NAICS 811 Repair and maintenance NAICS 811	74	$46,968	$143,811	−$68,089	$1,174
NAICS 212 Mining (except oil and gas) NAICS 212	72	$78,634	$261,683	+$49,783	$1,966
NAICS 491 Postal service NAICS 491	69	$62,222	$200,592	−$11,308	$1,556
NAICS 111 Crop production NAICS 111	64	$43,518	$130,969	−$80,931	$1,088
NAICS 311 Food manufacturing NAICS 311	55	$28,740	$75,961	−$135,939	$719
NAICS 513 Publishing industries NAICS 513	53	$52,581	$164,705	−$47,195	$1,315
NAICS 562 Waste management and remediation services NAICS 562	48	$53,419	$167,824	−$44,076	$1,335
NAICS 999 Unclassified NAICS 999	46	$39,326	$115,365	−$96,535	$983
NAICS 524 Insurance carriers and related activities NAICS 524	45	$64,467	$208,949	−$2,951	$1,612
NAICS 484 Truck transportation NAICS 484	35	$58,133	$185,371	−$26,529	$1,453
NAICS 812 Personal and laundry services NAICS 812	34	$21,329	$48,374	−$163,526	$533
NAICS 221 Utilities NAICS 221	30	$164,496	$581,290	+$369,390	$4,112
NAICS 517 Telecommunications NAICS 517	28	$75,495	$249,998	+$38,098	$1,887
NAICS 814 Private households NAICS 814	28	$37,201	$107,455	−$104,445	$930
NAICS 711 Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries NAICS 711	26	$41,875	$124,853	−$87,047	$1,047
NAICS 519 Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services NAICS 519	25	$15,096	$25,173	−$186,727	$377
NAICS 112 Animal production and aquaculture NAICS 112	24	$27,461	$71,200	−$140,700	$687
NAICS 423 Merchant wholesalers, durable goods NAICS 423	23	$137,677	$481,461	+$269,561	$3,442
NAICS 113 Forestry and logging NAICS 113	18	$39,001	$114,155	−$97,745	$975
NAICS 115 Support activities for agriculture and forestry NAICS 115	11	$66,871	$217,897	+$5,997	$1,672
NAICS 425 Wholesale trade agents and brokers NAICS 425	6	$38,898	$113,772	−$98,128	$972

Affordable home price assumes the industry's average earner uses 30% of gross income for housing, with a 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr taxes & insurance, and 0.5% PMI. Adjust the Section 3 calculator for other terms. Affordable rent is 30% of monthly gross pay.

Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024; ACS 5-year 2024 (median home value).

Section 5

Wages by Occupation

Selected essential-worker occupations for the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county — jobs, the 10-year change, wages, and the housing each typical earner can afford. Both jobs counts and wages are reported at the MSA / nonmetropolitan-area level (BLS does not publish OEWS at the county level), so every county inside the same area shows the same numbers. For county-accurate employment totals, see Section 4 above.

Occupational wages and affordable housing

Occupation	2025 jobs	2015–2025 change	% change	Hourly wage	Annual wage	Affordable home price	Affordable monthly rent
Fast Food and Counter Workers SOC 35-3023 · prior-year code differs	2,700	(10)	(0%)	$16.71	$34,750	$98,332	$869
Cashiers SOC 41-2011	3,850	(390)	(9%)	$16.78	$34,910	$98,927	$873
Childcare Workers SOC 39-9011	580	200	53%	$17.22	$35,830	$102,352	$896
Retail Salespersons SOC 41-2031	4,260	(680)	(14%)	$18.85	$39,200	$114,896	$980
Janitors and Cleaners SOC 37-2011	2,770	(330)	(11%)	$19.33	$40,210	$118,656	$1,005
Tellers SOC 43-3071	420	(330)	(44%)	$19.61	$40,800	$120,852	$1,020
Home Health and Personal Care Aides SOC 31-1131 · prior-year code differs	1,490	(2,470)	(62%)	$21.01	$43,700	$131,647	$1,093
Office Clerks, General SOC 43-9061	1,790	(810)	(31%)	$21.17	$44,040	$132,912	$1,101
Waiters and Waitresses SOC 35-3031	1,840	(510)	(22%)	$22.99	$47,820	$146,983	$1,196
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General SOC 49-9071	2,140	160	8%	$24.73	$51,430	$160,420	$1,286
Construction Laborers SOC 47-2061	1,020	(260)	(20%)	$26.86	$55,860	$176,910	$1,397
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers SOC 53-3032	1,830	(140)	(7%)	$28.63	$59,540	$190,609	$1,489
Carpenters SOC 47-2031	910	160	21%	$29.24	$60,810	$195,336	$1,520
Paramedics SOC 29-2043 · prior-year code differs	160	(160)	(50%)	$30.03	$62,450	$201,441	$1,561
Firefighters SOC 33-2011	160	30	23%	$30.47	$63,370	$204,865	$1,584
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters SOC 47-2152	170	(80)	(32%)	$33.43	$69,530	$227,795	$1,738
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers SOC 33-3051	1,010	280	38%	$34.22	$71,180	$233,937	$1,780
Electricians SOC 47-2111	470	(20)	(4%)	$34.44	$71,640	$235,649	$1,791
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education SOC 25-2021	1,790	60	3%	—	$72,850	$240,153	$1,821
Registered Nurses SOC 29-1141	3,390	(110)	(3%)	$44.98	$93,550	$317,205	$2,339

Affordable home price uses the same Section 3 formula (30% housing budget, 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr T&I, 0.5% PMI). Affordable rent is 30% of monthly wages. Negative job-change values are shown in red parentheses. A "prior-year code differs" note flags occupations whose SOC code changed between the two vintages (2010 SOC → 2018 SOC) — the change estimate is best-effort.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (10-year change vs. May 2015). Jobs counts and wages reflect the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county, not the county alone — OEWS is not published at the county level.

Methodology & sources

All figures derive from the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. State and national comparisons are population-weighted aggregates of county-level estimates (an approximation; ACS publishes its own state and national medians which can differ slightly).

The affordability calculator uses a 30% housing-budget rule with a 30-year mortgage. Defaults are 7% interest, 5% down, $2,500/year taxes and insurance, and 0.5% PMI — adjustable above.

Variables: 36031 · pulled from Full Housing Data Table.xlsx.