What does this measure?

Median household income, in 2021 dollars, broken down by type of household. Half of incomes are below the median and half are above.

Why is this important?

Median household income is a gauge of the overall economic health of the region and the financial resources of households.

How is our county doing?

In 2017-21, the overall median household income in Essex County was $82,900. Median incomes were lowest among households with children headed by single females, at $37,400, followed by single-parent households headed by males, $58,300. Married-couple households without children had a median income of $122,600, while married couples with children had the highest median income at $152,000. After inflation, these median incomes increased since 2000 for all households, but median income for single-parent households headed by females increased only slightly (2%).

Essex County's incomes were similar to the state across household types. Compared to the nation, Essex County had higher median incomes across all household types, but the difference was greater for married couple households than for single-parent households. Among Essex County cities with statistically reliable results, single-parent households headed by women had the lowest median income in Haverhill ($31,700).

How do we compare to similar counties?

In 2017-21, Essex County had a lower median household income for single females with children than the comparison counties -- $40,900 in Lake, IL, $47,900 in Middlesex, MA and $48,900 in Westchester, NY. Essex County also had the lowest median among the comparison counties for married couples without children. Married couples with children in Essex had lower median incomes than in Middlesex ($179,100) and Westchester ($187,400), and higher than in Lake ($145,000).

Notes about the data

Figures are in constant 2021 dollars. The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. 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. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with 3 asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.