Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Essex County, NJ

Welcome to Essex County.

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Essex County is the third most populous in the state of New Jersey, representing 9% of the state's population.

Total GDP for the county increased 27%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $67.4 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Essex County voted for Democratic candidates every time and never voted for Republicans.

Essex County comprises New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Newark.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Bergen County, Hudson County, Morris County, Passaic County, and Union County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
71.47%25.75%++
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
70.39%28.81%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
76.29%23.51%+++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
78.09%21.25%+++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
77.46%20.32%+++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
77.27%21.86%+++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%27%
Government
Enterprises
15%16%
Private Industries85%29%
Agriculture<1%-25%
Mining<1%48%
Utilities2%61%
Construction3%17%
Manufacturing4%15%
– Durable1%5%
– Nondurable2%22%
Trade9%19%
– Wholesale6%23%
– Retail4%14%
Transportation11%28%
Information4%53%
Finance & Insurance10%23%
Real Estate15%35%
Professional &
Business Services
15%41%
Educational Services1%17%
Healthcare &
Social Services
8%15%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%26%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%45%
Other Services22%20%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers8199
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
9599
📺 Electronics & Appliance5899
🛒 Grocery Stores54799
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores18799
⚕️ Health & Personal Care31999
⛽ Gasoline Stations15899
👕 Clothing Stores23899
👠 Shoe Stores5498
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry6498
🏸 Sporting Goods2397
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers1997
🏬 Department Stores9999
💐 Florists3399
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops4298
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 1496
🍺 Bars & Taverns7899
🍽️ Full-service restaurants61099
🍔 Limited-service restaurants62999
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers16497
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation3296
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%126%$468,300 N/A
Top 20%53%$237,900 $226,100
Next highest 20%22%$101,500 $127,900
Middle 20%14%$63,500 $78,500
Second lowest 20%8%$36,500 $50,200
Bottom 20%3%$13,000 $24,400
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries73%$88,700
Self-Employment6%$36,300
Investment Income115%$38,200
Social Security38%$21,100
Supplemental Security7%$10,800
Public Assistance4%Below $10,000
Retirement27%$26,000
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%6%6%7%
$25K
– $49K
<1%6%6%4%
$50K
– $99K
1%10%10%5%
$100K
– $199K
<1%8%10%5%
$200K
& more
<1%5%8%3%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$52,100 $39,100
African-American$23,600 $29,700
Hispanic$32,500 $27,700
Asian$42,600 $29,100
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$31,300 $24,600
Highschool & GED$37,800 $30,500
Some College to
Associate’s
$51,000 $38,000
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$64,700 $57,700
Graduate Degree$82,300 $73,600
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$76,300 $59,200
STEM2$78,100 $83,500
Gray-Collar3$81,100 $72,900
Pink-Collar4$26,600 $19,900
Sales5$37,100 $22,300
Blue-Collar6$40,900 $25,800
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding++$
Cold Waves
Drought+
Earthquake++$
Hail+
Heat Waves+++$
Hurricane++$
Ice Storm+++
Landslide++
Lightning+++
Riverine Flooding+++$
Strong Wind++++$
Tornado+++$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather+++
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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