Essex County, New Jersey
Population 863,002 · Newark, East Orange, Caldwell
- Overall cost of living: +12.6% vs the US average, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 203, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 115 per sq mi, higher than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+12.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $524,100 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,531 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $160/mo | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $14,944/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.91% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.625% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.52% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $10,001 | the highest in the US |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $80,789 | higher than 83% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +0.6% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 346.4 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈197 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 86°F | lower than 57% of US counties |
| January low | 23°F | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 28 in | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 20 days | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 118 days | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.3% of weeks | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63.3°F | higher than 50% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 49.7 in | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $117/yr | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $102/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $5.2/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $6.5/yr | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.6/yr | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.8 µg/m³ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 14.1 mi | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈574.5 ft | higher than 62% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 86.7% | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 39.1% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 16.9% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 203 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.8:1 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 84.7% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.26 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.08 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.7 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 76/100k | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 83 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.8★ | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.7 yrs | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 292/100k | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 94/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 23.7/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 99.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 21 min | lower than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 21 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 34 min | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.4% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 15.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 16.1% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 20 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 115 per sq mi | higher than 98% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 6.1 per 1k | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 15.5 per 1k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Population | 863,002 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Median age | 37.7 | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -10.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 71.7% Dem | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 26.8% Rep | lower than 98% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.5% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % White | 27.3% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 25.2% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Black | 35.4% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % Asian | 6% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.6% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 1.4% | higher than 98% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 758 parks | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.3 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.8 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 78 min | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.9% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 241 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 530 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 4,142 km | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 162 km | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 2,013 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 2,136 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 1,220 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 210 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 70 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 269 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 489 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 292 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data