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Zillow Home Value Index, Zillow Home Value Index, bottom tier and Zillow Observed Rent Index, and every figure derived from them, reports included.

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Essex County

Computed from the data · not AIComputed from the data, not AI. The figures, rankings, costs, profiles, summaries and maps on this page are assembled from published data by fixed rules, not written by AI. When a region includes a labelled interpretation inside its expanded detail, that is the one part a language model wrote.
Second River in Branch Brook Park in spring, lined with flowering cherry trees and forsythia
Second River in Branch Brook Park, NewarkPhoto: Jim.henderson, public domain

Housing market

Figures & sources

Typical home value

$658,593

+32.5%

20212026
Sep 2026 $658,593

Zillow · Sep 2026

Modeled value—not a sale price or appraisal.

Where it sits 21 of 21 NJ counties · Sep 2026

Middle 50%: $418k–$656k · medianMedian. The middle value: half are above it and half below. Unlike an average, a few very large values do not pull it up. $580k

Essex County $658,593Highlighted

Typical market rent

$2,273 / month

+29.8%

20212026
Sep 2026 $2,273

Zillow · Sep 2026

Market benchmark, not existing tenants’ bills. Utilities extra.

Where it sits 21 of 21 NJ counties · Sep 2026

Middle 50%: $2,049–$2,598 · medianMedian. The middle value: half are above it and half below. Unlike an average, a few very large values do not pull it up. $2,291

Essex County $2,273Highlighted

Box: middle half of counties · line: median · ends: min–max. Hover, drag or use ← → to explore counties.

Same-month statewide comparisons—not just nearby counties. Trends use separate scales and nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.

44.9% Owner-occupiedRented 55.1%

Occupied homes · Census ACSACS. American Community Survey: the Census Bureau’s rolling survey. Figures here are five-year estimates, so “2023” means the survey years 2019–2023, not a count taken that year. 2020–2024 · 90% margin: ± 0.7 points

Monthly costs

Published starting figures: home value Sep 2026 · rent Sep 2026 · mortgage benchmark Oct 22, 2026. Your inputs adjust the estimates below.

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What you enter changes this page’s arithmetic only — never this place’s published figures or its rankings.

To own the typical homeTo own. The typical home’s value, houses and condos (Zillow Home Value Index, Sep 2026), less a 20% down payment, borrowed over 30 years at 7.32% — the national benchmark for a 30-year fixed loan (Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, via FRED, Oct 22, 2026), not a quote for any borrower. A month adds property tax, homeowners insurance, any mortgage insurance, utilities and upkeep, each with where it comes from; HOA fees and flood insurance only if you enter them. The tax bill is the area’s median from New Jersey’s assessment records unless you enter a bill — never worked out from the price.

$5,626estimated cash paid each month, including principalPrincipal. The part of a mortgage payment that pays down the loan itself, rather than interest. It stays yours, as equity in the home.

Calculated estimate · not a lender quote

At other mortgage rates
RatePrincipal and interestThe month
5%$2,828$4,836
6%$3,159$5,166
7%$3,505$5,512
8%$3,866$5,873

The same home, down payment and costs at each rate. Assumptions to compare, not a forecast of where rates go.

Point at or tap a colour to see what it pays for.

Money gone $5,221Into the home $405

  • Interest$3,214
  • Property tax$1,020
  • Homeowners insurance$120
  • Utilities$319
  • Upkeep$549

Money gone$5,221

Into the home$405

To rent the typical homeTo rent. Zillow Observed Rent Index for this place (Sep 2026): the typical rent asked for homes listed for rent, across every kind of rental home — mostly apartments — smoothed and seasonally adjusted. It is what a new tenant is asked, not what tenants already in place pay, and it does not include utilities.

$2,273a month, all of it gone

  • Rent$2,273

Money gone$2,273

Into a home$0

Owning costs $3,354 more a month than renting; $405 of the owning payment goes into the home.

Not included: the owning estimate leaves out HOAHOA. A homeowners or condominium association, which charges owners a monthly fee for shared upkeep and amenities. It is set by each building or community, so no published figure covers it. or condo fees, flood insurance and what the down payment could earn.

Comparing the two: A house usually rents for more than this: Zillow’s rent covers every kind of rental home, mostly apartments, while its home value covers single-family houses only. Owning includes utilities; a quoted rent usually does not.

Five years back, not a forecast: Over the last five years the typical home here gained about $2,695 a month in value (Sep 2021 to Sep 2026) — what happened, not a promise. Buyers then borrowed at 2.90% (Sep 2021), against 7.32% (Oct 22, 2026).

About this place

Housing profile

Typical household incomeTypical household income. The income of the household in the middle: half of households here earn more, half less. From the Census Bureau’s survey, pooled over five years. Before tax, per year; survey years 2020–2024.Kind of figure: Survey estimate

$80,789± $1,638

lower than most · 18–19 of 21 counties

Renters spending over 30%Renters spending over 30%. The share of renting households spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. From the Census survey for 2020–2024; not the share of all households.Kind of figure: Survey estimate

55.1%± 1.7 points

hard to tell from most · 10–20 of 21 counties

Updated Sep 26, 2026 · first published as 52.4%
Typical home builtTypical home built. The median year one- to four-family homes here were built, among those New Jersey’s property tax records (MOD-IV) give a year for.Kind of figure: Administrative records

1931

older than most · 20 of 21 counties

More about the housing here
Median lotMedian lot. The median lot size of one- to four-family homes here, from the property tax records (MOD-IV). An acre is 43,560 square feet.Kind of figure: Administrative records

0.13 acres

smaller than most · 20 of 21 counties

Households that ownHouseholds that own. The share of occupied homes lived in by their owners rather than rented out, from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey five-year estimate.Kind of figure: Survey estimate

44.9%± 0.7 points

fewer than most · 20 of 21 counties

Apartment buildingsApartment buildings. Apartment buildings as a share of the residential properties on the tax roll — one- to four-family homes and apartment buildings. It counts buildings, not homes: a 200-unit building counts once.Kind of figure: Administrative records

1.8%

more than most · 2 of 21 counties

Homes standing emptyHomes standing empty. The share of all homes standing empty, including holiday homes and homes for sale or rent.Kind of figure: Survey estimate

5.1%± 0.3 points

hard to tell from most · 9–13 of 21 counties

Net homes added per 100 · 2024Net homes added per 100 · 2024. Homes finished minus homes demolished in the year, per 100 existing homes. Uses NJ construction-office reports and the Census housing-unit estimate ending that year. Covers only towns that reported both; a missing report is not zero. A negative value means demolitions exceeded completions. The underlying tables use per 1,000; this banner divides the value and its margin by 10, keeping the same rank.Kind of figure: Calculated here

0.43± 0.0003 per 100 homes

more than most · 4 of 21 counties

Ranked measures

All measures →

Where Essex County ranks among the highest or lowest New Jersey counties (the outer 5%, or three at either end). A rank scale, not a value scale; bands include ties and 90% survey rank ranges.

Local stories

Prices & paychecks

$524,100 owner-reported home value

Survey values—not current asking prices.

Census ACS · 2020–2024

The homes that sold

$650,018 median recorded sale

Recorded 1–4-family sales—not asking prices.

NJ Treasury · SR1A · Jan 2024–Jun 2026

Housing cost burden

75% of renters in the lowest income band are cost-burdened

Up to 30% of HUD area family income · survey estimate.

HUD CHAS · Census ACS · 2018–2022

Buyer financing

$605,000 median purchase mortgage

Historical loans—not current offers.

CFPB · HMDA · 2025

Building & demolition

2,104 net homes added

Preliminary · missing reports are not zero.

Census BPS / NJ DCA · 2025 · Preliminary

County arrivals & departures

Essex County: 3,761 more tax returns leaving

County context—not town-level moves.

IRS migration · County context · 2022–2023

Getting around

34-minute average commute

One-way mean—not your route.

Census ACS · 2020–2024

Where students go

8% of K–12 students who live here attend a private school

Where students live—charter and vocational schools count as public.

Census ACS · 2020–2024

Water you can check

9 of 21 water systems with past health-based violations

System history—not today’s tap water.

EPA / NJDEP · 2021–2025

Flood exposure & claims

3.1% of homes in FEMA’s 1%-a-year flood zone

Mapped homes—not an address-specific risk assessment.

FEMA NFHL / NJDEP · Map copy 2026 · 2020 homes

Sites & cleanup

965 site cleanups open in NJDEP’s records

Site records—not a property’s exposure or safety.

NJDEP site records · 2026 record snapshot

Power & reliability

2 electricity providers with outage records

Utility-wide—not this town’s outage record.

EIA-861 · Utility-wide · 2025

Health in context

Essex County: health in context

Modeled estimates—not a diagnosis or local headcount.

CDC PLACES · 2023 basis · 2025 release

Internet availability

99.7% of mapped locations have a fiber offer

Mapped locations—not households or measured speeds.

FCC provider reports · 2025-12-31 · revised 2026-10-13

Checking a particular home? Open the buyer’s guide checks → · Check the supplier’s current water records ↗. System records do not describe a private well.

AI highlights

AI-written interpretationAI-written interpretation. Interpretation of area figures, not a measurement or advice.written by Gemini 3.8 Flash (low thinking) · gemini

The underlying figures have changed since this was written. Treat it as out of date until it is regenerated.

Essex County ranks highest among New Jersey's 21 counties for its sale price to household income, while its annual property tax bill for a typical home of $12,238 is also the highest in the state. For someone looking to buy, purchasing a home requires a larger share of household income alongside higher recurring local property taxes than anywhere else in the state. However, the sale-price measure reflects only transactions of one- to four-family homes that actually sold rather than all housing across the county.

All 2 figures checked against the data — where each comes from
FigureWhat it isPeriodSource
21number of regions compared——
$12,238Annual property tax bill, typical home — latest value2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31MOD-IV property tax assessment records (NJ Division of Taxation), retrieved 2026-10-02 · matched by New Jersey municipal code