How many people live in Essex County, MA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 823,900 people living in Essex County, MA. That makes Essex County the third-most populous county in Massachusetts. It is home to 11.5% of people living in the state.
824K
population of Essex County, MA (2024)
11.5%
County share of the Massachusetts population (2024)
About 823,900 people lived in Essex County, MA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Essex County, MA’s age demographics?
About 159,800 Essex County, MA residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 19.4% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.7% of Massachusetts’ population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 170,000 Essex County residents, or 20.6% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 19% of Massachusetts’ population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Essex County, MA's population is aged 25–44 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Essex County, MA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 64.8% of the Essex County, MA population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Essex County also has a larger share of people identifying as Hispanic (25.7%) than the US overall (20%).
In contrast, Essex County’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounts for 3.9%, below the 12.6% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 4.1% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Essex County, MA has a higher share of a Hispanic population than Massachusetts as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Essex County, MA is Lynn with about 103,500 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Essex County, MA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lynn | 103,489 |
| 2. | Lawrence | 89,332 |
| 3. | Haverhill | 68,291 |
| 4. | Peabody | 55,418 |
| 5. | Methuen | 54,272 |
| 6. | Salem | 45,677 |
| 7. | Beverly | 43,223 |
| 8. | Andover | 36,927 |
| 9. | North Andover | 32,135 |
| 10. | Gloucester | 30,491 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
