Places/NJ/Essex County, NJ
County profile

Essex County, NJ

United States · GDP 2024
#70 of 3,127 US counties by GDP71st-percentile growthmore diversified than 96% of counties
EA Place Score
methodology in progress
GDP 2024 (USD)
$76.2B
BEA · 2024
GDP growth (YoY)
+6.3%
BEA · 2024
Jobs tracked
295,575
Census CBP · 2023
Employers
19,392
Census CBP · 2023
Avg. wage
$84.3k
BLS QCEW · 2023
Population
896,379
Census PEP · 2025
Labor, income & education
Unemployment
5.3%
Median HH income
$80.8k±$1.6k
Bachelor's degree+
39.1%±0.6%
Poverty rate
14.6%±0.6%
Business applications
17,350 · 2025
Retail establishments
2,543
28.5/10k pop
Industry mix · employment
Health care32%
Transportation18%
Retail trade15%
Food & accommodation14%
Professional services11%
Admin & support10%
share of top-6 sector employment · CBP 2023
Population & migration
Census PEP · 20202025
896,379
residents · 2025 · +4.2% since 2020
Income per capita $82.9k · BEA 2024
COMPONENTS OF CHANGE · 20212025
Domestic migration45,986
International migration+64,457
Natural change+17,611

GDP trend

20192024 · nominal
$58.3B
2019
$54.5B
2020
$59.4B
2021
$66.4B
2022
$71.7B
2023
$76.2B
2024

Real estate & risk

FHFA · ACS · FEMA
Median home value
$524.1k±$11.1k
Median gross rent
$1.5k/mo±$19/mo
Vacancy rate
5.1%±0.3%
Affordability
6.2× wages
Residential permits
$571.3M
3,657 units · 4.1/1k pop
FEMA risk score
97.7
HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR):$2.2k/mo · 2026
TOP PERILS · FEMA NRI
Heat wave 99Strong wind 99Winter weather 97
FHFA HOUSE PRICE INDEX · 20162025
933
2016
969
2017
999
2018
1033
2019
1072
2020
1177
2021
1319
2022
1463
2023
1602
2024
1695
2025
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS · 20212025
7% since 2021
3,417
2021
3,470
2022
3,781
2023
3,827
2024
3,657
2025

Transport access

BTS · FAA · USACE
Nearest interstate
0.2 km
I-280
Nearest freight rail
1.7 km
NJT
Nearest port
7.5 km
LINDE-GRIFFITH CONSTRUCTION CO. WHARF
Nearest commercial airport
12.2 km
NEWARK LIBERTY INTL
Wage trend
BLS QCEW · 20192023
$84.3k
avg. annual pay · +16% since 2019
The read

What is the GDP of Essex?

Essex's economy produced $76.2B in 2024, growing 6.3% year over yearfaster than most US counties. Its largest employment sector is health care.

GDP: BEA (2024), USD-normalized · Jobs/employers/wages & industry mix: Census CBP (2023) · Population & migration: Census PEP · Income: BEA CAINC1 · Companies: SEC EDGAR + FMP, by HQ.