Essex County, NJ — housing report
15 metrics over the 5y change window, ranked against 21 county regions in NJ.
Between them the metrics reach from 2018-12-31 to 2026-06-30; each one covers its own window, given below.
Where this region stands out
- Total population — rank 2 of 21 (best end), +7.4%
- Net migration, tax returns — rank 21 of 21 (worst end), -91.4%
Metrics
| Metric | Start | Latest | Change | Annualised | Rank | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,178 | $1,459 | +23.9% | 5.5%/yr | 6 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Median household income | $61,510 | $76,712 | +24.7% | 5.7%/yr | 5 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Median owner-occupied home value | $386,000 | $494,400 | +28.1% | 6.4%/yr | 11 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Total population | 795,404 | 854,130 | +7.4% | 1.8%/yr | 2 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Renters paying over 30% of income on housing | 0.53 | 0.52 | -1.3% | -0.3%/yr | 13 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Area median income (HUD) | $106,000 | $130,300 | +22.9% | 5.3%/yr | 5 / 21 | 2020-12-31 → 2024-12-31 |
| Low-income limit, 80% AMI, 4-person household | $78,500 | $97,800 | +24.6% | 5.6%/yr | 6 / 21 | 2020-12-31 → 2024-12-31 |
| Net migration, tax returns | -2,181 | -4,174 | -91.4% | — | 21 / 21 | 2018-12-31 → 2022-12-31 |
| Residential units permitted | 3,241 | 3,364 | +3.8% | 0.7%/yr | 9 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2024-12-31 |
| Home value to area median income | 4.29 | 4.81 | +12.2% | 2.9%/yr | 5 / 21 | 2020-12-31 → 2024-12-31 |
| Home value to household income | 6.95 | 7.48 | +7.7% | 1.9%/yr | 4 / 21 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Annual rent to household income | 0.30 | 0.32 | +5.1% | 1.2%/yr | 5 / 16 | 2019-12-31 → 2023-12-31 |
| Unemployment rate | 8.5% | 5.4% | -36.5% | -8.7%/yr | 5 / 21 | 2020-12-31 → 2025-12-31 |
| Home value index, single-family | $510,126 | $675,065 | +32.3% | 5.8%/yr | 16 / 21 | 2021-06-30 → 2026-06-30 |
| Observed rent index, all homes | $1,709 | $2,274 | +33.1% | 5.9%/yr | 9 / 17 | 2021-06-30 → 2026-06-30 |
Rank 1 is the better end of the cohort as the metric defines better, not always the largest rise.
Current values
Ranked by value rather than by change. Snapshot metrics — the MOD-IV assessment aggregates — appear only here.
| Metric | Value | Rank | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,459 | 15 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | census_acs |
| Median household income | $76,712 | 20 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | census_acs |
| Median owner-occupied home value | $494,400 | 7 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | census_acs |
| Total population | 854,130 | 3 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | census_acs |
| Renters paying over 30% of income on housing | 0.52 | 17 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | census_acs |
| Area median income (HUD) | $130,300 | 6 / 21 | 2024-12-31 | hud |
| Low-income limit, 80% AMI, 4-person household | $97,800 | 5 / 21 | 2024-12-31 | hud |
| Net migration, tax returns | -4,174 | 21 / 21 | 2022-12-31 | irs_migration |
| Residential units permitted | 3,364 | 4 / 21 | 2024-12-31 | census_permits |
| Home value to area median income | 4.81 | 16 / 21 | 2024-12-31 | hip_derived |
| Home value to household income | 7.48 | 20 / 21 | 2023-12-31 | hip_derived |
| Annual rent to household income | 0.32 | 16 / 18 | 2023-12-31 | hip_derived |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 17 / 21 | 2025-12-31 | bls |
| Home value index, single-family | $675,065 | 5 / 21 | 2026-06-30 | zillow_zhvi |
| Observed rent index, all homes | $2,274 | 11 / 19 | 2026-06-30 | zillow_zori |
Caveats
- ACS 5-year vintages overlap by four years, so consecutive estimates are not independent measurements and short windows understate the real separation.
- Affordability ratios are computed by this platform from two published series, not published by either source. The monthly value or rent series is averaged over the survey year to match the annual income denominator.
- Zillow's rent index begins in 2015 and covers far fewer places than its home-value index, so any rent figure rests on a thinner base — and ranks against a smaller cohort — than a value figure.
- HUD publishes income limits per county, so every AMI-based figure here is a county figure. HUD does not sanction allocating one down to a municipality.
- Some metrics rank this region against fewer peers than the level contains, because not every region carries every metric. Compare ranks only within the cohort size each one reports.
Sources
| Source | Publisher | Vintage | Retrieved | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Area Unemployment Statistics and QCEW | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | current | 2026-08-12 | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| American Community Survey, 5-year estimates | U.S. Census Bureau | 2023 | 2026-08-12 | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Building Permits Survey | U.S. Census Bureau | 2024 | 2026-08-11 | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Computed by the platform | Housing Intelligence Platform | 2026-09-05T204528 | 2026-09-05 | Derived from cited sources |
| USPS ZIP crosswalk and income limits | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | 2024 | 2026-08-12 | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| SOI county-to-county migration flows | Internal Revenue Service | 2122 | 2026-08-11 | Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Zillow Home Value Index | Zillow Research | current | 2026-08-11 | Free for non-commercial use with attribution |
| Zillow Observed Rent Index | Zillow Research | current | 2026-08-11 | Free for non-commercial use with attribution |