Community & Data
Essex Demographics
A Portrait of Essex
Essex is a small coastal town of about 3,675 people on the Essex River, on the western edge of Cape Ann. The median home here is worth more than $800,000, and three in four homes are owner-occupied. Households average 2.7 people, about one resident in six is 65 or over, and about one resident in twenty-five was born outside the United States. Figures below are from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Follow the source links for the latest.
Key Figures
Sources: US Census Bureau (data.census.gov), 2020 Census and American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024.
Population & Households
- Population (2020 Census): 3,675
- Households: 1,359
- Persons per household: 2.7
- Foreign-born: 4.1% of residents
- Age 65 and over: 16.9%
- Under 18: 23.9%
Race & Ethnicity
- White: 97.4%
- Asian: 0.8%
- Black or African American: 0.0%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race): 1.1%
- Two or more races: 0.9%
- Speak a language other than English at home: 2.5%
Economy & Housing
- Median household income: $157,147
- Poverty rate: 8.1%
- Median home value: $897,400
- Median gross rent: $1,964
- Homeownership: 75.0% of units
- In the labor force: 73.7%
Registered Voters
Massachusetts publishes voter-registration counts by town through the Secretary of the Commonwealth; the counts below are the state’s enrollment snapshot from August 22, 2026. As in most of the state, Essex’s largest bloc by far is voters who choose no party at all.
- Total registered: 3,036
- Unenrolled (no party): 2,111 (69.53%)
- Democrats: 567 (18.68%)
- Republicans: 337 (11.10%)
- Political designations: 21 (0.69%)
See how Essex fits into the broader Commonwealth.
MassCivics last checked this page on October 20, 2026.
Sources
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census, P1, Essex town, as of April 1, 2020.
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 year 2020 to 2024, DP02, Essex town, as of December 31, 2024.
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 year 2020 to 2024, DP03, Essex town, as of December 31, 2024.
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 year 2020 to 2024, DP04, Essex town, as of December 31, 2024.
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, ACS 5 year 2020 to 2024, DP05, Essex town, as of December 31, 2024.
- Population and demographics: US Census Bureau, Census profile of Essex town, Essex County (American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024 and the 2020 Census).
- Schools and districts: Massachusetts DESE, Manchester Essex Regional.
- Elections and voter enrollment: Secretary of the Commonwealth (spreadsheet), 2026 state primary registration workbook, as of August 22, 2026.
- Elections and voter enrollment: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Elections Calendar.