How many people live in Essex County, NJ?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 881,500 people living in Essex County, NJ. That makes Essex County the third-most populous county in New Jersey. It is home to 9.2% of people living in the state.
882K
population of Essex County, NJ (2024)
9.2%
County share of the New Jersey population (2024)
About 881,500 people lived in Essex County, NJ in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Essex County, NJ’s age demographics?
About 129,400 Essex County, NJ residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 14.7% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18% of New Jersey’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 205,800 Essex County residents, or 23.3% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.5% of New Jersey’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Essex County, NJ's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Essex County, NJ’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic Black or African American residents make up 36.7% of the Essex County, NJ population, higher than the national share of 12.6%. Essex County also has a larger share of people identifying as Hispanic (26.1%) than the US overall (20%).
In contrast, Essex County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 28.5%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic two or more races population makes up 1.7% of the county, compared with 2.5% 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, NJ has a higher share of a non-Hispanic Black or African American population than New Jersey as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Essex County, NJ is Newark with about 317,300 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Essex County, NJ ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Newark | 317,303 |
| 2. | East Orange | 71,850 |
| 3. | Irvington | 61,838 |
| 4. | Bloomfield | 55,416 |
| 5. | West Orange | 49,211 |
| 6. | Montclair | 41,076 |
| 7. | Belleville | 38,672 |
| 8. | City of Orange | 35,079 |
| 9. | Livingston | 32,160 |
| 10. | Nutley | 30,508 |
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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.
