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Environmental Health and You

Environmental health centers on the relationships between people and their environment. A key part of any comprehensive public health system, environmental health ensures everyone has a safe place to live, learn, work and play.

Tell Me About Where We Live

Tell Me About Essex County   

  • In 2022, Essex County, NJ had a population of 853k people with a median age of 37.6 and a median household income of $73,785.
  • Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Essex County, NJ grew from 852,720 to 853,374, a 0.0767% increase and its median household income grew from $67,826 to $73,785, a 8.79% increase.
  • The 5 largest ethnic groups in Essex County, NJ are Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (36.7%), White (Non-Hispanic) (28.5%), Other (Hispanic) (10.1%), White (Hispanic) (7%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (5.65%).
  • None of the households in Essex County, NJ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.
  • 86.5% of the residents in Essex County, NJ are U.S. citizens.
  • The largest universities in Essex County, NJ are Rutgers University-Newark (3,712 degrees awarded in 2022), Seton Hall University (2,827 degrees), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (2,792 degrees).
  • In 2022, the median property value in Essex County, NJ was $466,500, and the homeownership rate was 44.7%.
  • Most people in Essex County, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 33.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Essex County, NJ was 2 cars per household.
  • Essex County, NJ borders Bergen County, NJ, Hudson County, NJ, Morris County, NJ, Passaic County, NJ, and Union County, NJ.
  • None of the households in Essex County, NJ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.
  • 86.5% of the residents in Essex County, NJ are U.S. citizens.
  • The largest universities in Essex County, NJ are Rutgers University-Newark (3,712 degrees awarded in 2022), Seton Hall University (2,827 degrees), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (2,792 degrees).
  • In 2022, the median property value in Essex County, NJ was $466,500, and the homeownership rate was 44.7%.
  • Most people in Essex County, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 33.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Essex County, NJ was 2 cars per household.
  • Essex County, NJ borders Bergen County, NJ, Hudson County, NJ, Morris County, NJ, Passaic County, NJ, and Union County, NJ.

Diversity in Essex County

  • Essex County, NJ is home to a population of 853k people, from which 86.5% are citizens. As of 2022, 28.7% of Essex County, NJ residents were born outside of the country (245k people).
  • In 2022, there were 1.29 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (313k people) in Essex County, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 243k White (Non-Hispanic) and 86.5k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.