Essex County, MA vs Suffolk County, MA

Side-by-side demographic comparison · ACS 2024

Essex County, MA
7
metrics lead
vs
Suffolk County, MA
5
metrics lead

Key Metrics

Population — Essex County
813,054
Rank #78 of 3,222
98th percentile
Population — Suffolk County
785,121
Rank #83 of 3,222
97th percentile
Income — Essex County
$101,883 +35.6% vs nat'l
Rank #154 of 3,222
95th percentile
Income — Suffolk County
$95,631 +27.3% vs nat'l
Rank #213 of 3,222
93th percentile
Poverty — Essex County
9.4% −25.6% vs nat'l
Rank #662 of 3,222
79th percentile
Poverty — Suffolk County
16.2% +28.5% vs nat'l
Rank #2,156 of 3,222
33th percentile
Home Value — Essex County
$619,100 +119.6% vs nat'l
Rank #76 of 3,222
98th percentile
Home Value — Suffolk County
$705,800 +150.4% vs nat'l
Rank #51 of 3,222
98th percentile

All Metrics

Metric Essex County, MA Suffolk County, MA
Total Population 813,054 ▲ 785,121
Median Household Income $101,883 ▲ $95,631
Per Capita Income $54,665 $58,636 ▲
Poverty Rate 9.4% ▲ 16.2%
Median Home Value $619,100 $705,800 ▲
Median Gross Rent $1,756 $2,129 ▲
Homeownership Rate 63.5% ▲ 36.5%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 43.0% 50.6% ▲
Unemployment Rate 5.1% ▲ 6.3%
Median Age 41.2 years ▲ 33.9 years
Health Insurance Coverage 97.2% ▲ 96.9%
Mean Commute Time 31.7 min 34.3 min ▲

Rate Comparison

Essex County

63.5% Homeownership
97.2% Insured
43.0% Bachelor's+

Suffolk County

36.5% Homeownership
96.9% Insured
50.6% Bachelor's+

Race & Ethnicity

Essex County

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoTwo or More RacesAsian (non-Hispanic)Black (non-Hispanic)Other (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0%24.6%49.2%64.5%24.1%3.5%3.5%3.5%0.8%0.0%0.0%

Suffolk County

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoBlack (non-Hispanic)Asian (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesOther (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0%25.5%43.6%23.2%17.1%9.2%5.6%1.1%0.1%0.0%

Essex County vs Suffolk County

Essex County, MA has a population of 813,054 while Suffolk County, MA has 785,121. Essex County has a higher median household income ($101,883 vs $95,631).

Overall, Essex County, MA leads in 7 out of 12 comparable metrics. This comparison uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates for 2024.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.