Financial Self-Sufficiency
Homeownership Rate


Homeownership Rate

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What does this measure?

The percentage of all occupied housing units (not vacant) that are owner-occupied (not rented).

Why is this important?

Homeownership is an important factor for neighborhood stability and civic participation. A home is a vital financial asset for a family and an investment in both the local neighborhood and surrounding community.

How is our county doing?

In 2017-21, the homeownership rate in Essex County was 64%, level since 2000, on par with the national rate, and lower than the state rate. Although the rate in Essex County has remained steady overall, homeownership rates varied greatly among local communities. The lowest rate was in Lawrence (29%) followed by Lynn (48%) and Salem (52%). The highest rates were in Boxford (96%), West Newbury (93%) and Groveland and Middleton (both 92%).

How do we compare to similar counties?

Essex County's homeownership rate in 2017-21 was similar with Middlesex, MA and Westchester, NY, but lower than Lake, IL, at 74%. Similar to Essex, rates in Middlesex and Westchester changed little since 2000, while Lake, IL dropped 4 percentage points.

Notes about the data

Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas.

Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

Homeownership Rate
20002007-112012-162017-21
Essex County, MA64%65%63%64%
Amesbury73%69%67%
Beverly60%63%60%60%
Gloucester60%65%64%63%
Haverhill60%64%60%58%
Lawrence32%32%28%29%
Lynn46%48%44%48%
Methuen72%74%71%73%
Newburyport67%71%74%77%
Peabody71%65%65%66%
Salem49%52%48%52%
Andover79%81%80%81%
Boxford97%98%98%96%
Danvers77%72%69%71%
Essex70%68%78%81%
Georgetown86%85%84%78%
Groveland86%87%82%92%
Hamilton82%74%83%82%
Ipswich73%77%73%75%
Lynnfield94%92%85%85%
Manchester71%68%69%76%
Marblehead75%81%79%81%
Merrimac83%82%87%80%
Middleton86%88%85%92%
Nahant68%70%68%83%
Newbury81%77%85%90%
North Andover73%77%73%71%
Rockport64%72%69%68%
Rowley77%80%83%80%
Salisbury69%76%75%81%
Saugus80%78%79%78%
Swampscott77%78%77%73%
Topsfield89%93%92%88%
Wenham85%92%88%87%
West Newbury93%87%95%93%
Middlesex County, MA62%63%62%62%
Lake County, IL78%78%73%74%
Westchester County, NY60%62%61%62%
Massachusetts62%64%62%62%
United States66%66%64%65%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey.




Number of Owner-occupied Housing Units
20002007-112012-162017-21
Essex County, MA175,022184,985182,306195,868
Amesbury4,7674,8314,918
Beverly9,4569,6639,74810,086
Gloucester7,5247,9858,1278,261
Haverhill13,83815,49714,17215,215
Lawrence7,8698,7857,3358,807
Lynn15,31516,31314,22617,431
Methuen11,89212,87212,32213,771
Newburyport5,0265,3785,7345,806
Peabody13,23113,67913,94914,958
Salem8,5949,1538,61610,183
Andover8,8919,6809,72710,774
Boxford2,4962,6032,6512,761
Danvers7,3707,4087,3137,807
Essex9189361,1361,083
Georgetown2,2162,3772,6332,508
Groveland1,7762,0671,8612,320
Hamilton2,1881,8742,2742,102
Ipswich3,8574,2034,0784,176
Lynnfield3,9483,7543,7693,874
Manchester1,5361,3961,4551,575
Marblehead6,4346,3856,5116,552
Merrimac1,8502,0122,2912,066
Middleton1,9742,3022,4302,862
Nahant1,1101,0721,0941,395
Newbury2,0251,9382,3742,274
North Andover7,0737,8417,9817,795
Rockport2,2442,1742,2282,269
Rowley1,5091,7941,8231,862
Salisbury2,1142,5722,7413,150
Saugus7,9427,7347,9278,211
Swampscott4,3784,3634,1554,473
Topsfield1,8671,8962,0611,939
Wenham1,0961,2071,2211,128
West Newbury1,2941,3051,5121,476
Middlesex County, MA346,591366,002366,548385,336
Lake County, IL168,293186,237178,807186,542
Westchester County, NY202,765214,765210,004224,531
Massachusetts1,508,2481,604,4731,588,7431,694,407
United States69,816,51375,896,75974,881,06880,152,161

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey.




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults Not Applicable
Preterm Births Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Youth Arrests Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment Maintaining
Tourism Spending Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Charitable Contributions Maintaining
Protected Land Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality Increasing
Beach Contamination Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident Decreasing
Crimes Against People Maintaining
Crimes Against Property Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence Increasing
Incarceration Rates Decreasing
Recidivism Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Change in Total Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Households by Type Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work Not Applicable
Employer Size Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Bullying Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Median Home Value Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Increasing
Cost of Renting Increasing
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeless Persons Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate Decreasing
Mortality Rate Decreasing
People who Smoke Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Suicide Rate Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable