Jobs, pay and daily life in Essex, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Essex is a city in Maryland with 40,580 residents. The median household earns $67,168 a year and the median rent is $1,319 a month, which is 23.6% of the median household income. It is part of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area, where BLS counts 1,356,680 jobs.
How Essex compares. Among the 80 largest places in Maryland, Essex is #25 by population, #77 for college degrees (#1 = most), #77 for remote work (#1 = most), #5 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Baltimore County, is #7 of 24 counties for average pay ($71,051).
Essex has 40,580 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.7% of the population of Maryland. It covers 9 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 4,382 people per square mile. The median age is 41.8, 6% older than the state median (41.8 against 39.4). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,319 a month (rent plus utilities), 23% below the state median ($1,319 against $1,705). Over a year that is 23.6% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $258,900, which is 3.9 times the median household income ($67,168); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 61.3% of households own their home, 9% below the state average (61.3% against 67.6%).
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area has 1,356,680 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $59,070 a year, 16% above the national median ($59,070 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (159,220 jobs, median $49,590); management (123,580 jobs, median $128,630); transportation and material moving (113,300 jobs, median $44,720). The area is most specialised in life, physical, and social science (1.5 times) and computer and mathematical (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($128,630) and computer and mathematical ($128,330). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Baltimore County was 3.6%. 65.2% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Baltimore County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 73.1% drive alone, 4.1% use public transit, 1.1% walk, 7.5% work from home. 19.3% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 20% below the state average (19.3% against 24.2%).
19.9% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 54% below the state share (19.9% against 43.5%). 8.3% of residents were born outside the United States, 50% below the state share (8.3% against 16.6%). The poverty rate is 12.6%, 34% above the state rate (12.6% against 9.4%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 78°F (25.3°C), and the coolest is Jan at 31°F (-0.6°C). About 1,168 mm (46 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (118 mm) and Jan the driest (69 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Middle River (3 miles, rent 24% higher); Dundalk (4 miles, rent 12% higher); Rosedale (4 miles, rent 4% higher); Perry Hall (7 miles, rent 29% higher). Rent differences are against Essex; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Maryland (655) →State guide: MarylandCountry guideBaltimore CountyMaryland rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 655 federal postings open in Maryland (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Maryland →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 44,960 | 1.47 | $117,040 | $58,350 | $232,180 | +11% |
| Retail Salespersons | 39,920 | 1.17 | $34,800 | $31,200 | $45,980 | -2% |
| Registered Nurses | 30,930 | 1.05 | $99,550 | $77,600 | $125,020 | +2% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 29,780 | 2.00 | $49,220 | $35,920 | $65,510 | +4% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 28,350 | 1.10 | $43,250 | $34,320 | $56,100 | +7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 26,880 | 0.72 | $37,640 | $31,390 | $46,360 | +5% |
| Cashiers | 22,300 | 0.83 | $33,760 | $31,200 | $38,390 | +3% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 21,090 | 0.63 | $33,090 | $31,200 | $36,150 | +6% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 19,590 | 0.99 | $36,170 | $31,200 | $60,650 | +3% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 19,050 | 0.99 | $36,460 | $31,640 | $48,240 | -1% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 17,480 | 0.77 | $42,850 | $32,600 | $62,860 | -4% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 17,180 | 0.69 | $38,630 | $31,870 | $49,080 | +3% |
| Software Developers | 16,850 | 1.14 | $138,900 | $87,290 | $223,550 | +2% |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 16,400 | 1.73 | $98,060 | $55,460 | $156,750 | +18% |
| Security Guards | 16,020 | 1.43 | $36,970 | $32,810 | $62,200 | -3% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 15,580 | 0.87 | $59,460 | $43,580 | $78,770 | +1% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 15,070 | 1.20 | $75,590 | $47,480 | $103,860 | +9% |
| Project Management Specialists | 14,700 | 1.58 | $103,720 | $63,540 | $167,190 | +1% |
| Nursing Assistants | 13,580 | 1.07 | $42,770 | $35,180 | $47,940 | +1% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 13,550 | 1.07 | $85,160 | $59,170 | $146,650 | +2% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 2,100 | 3.58 | $322,890 | $163,140 | $393,420 | +26% |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 760 | 0.82 | $307,400 | $136,250 | $420,950 | +26% |
| Chief Executives | 1,970 | 1.11 | $268,030 | $156,010 | $486,310 | +25% |
| Physicians, All Other | 3,790 | 1.27 | $218,770 | $74,220 | $407,750 | -18% |
| Dentists, General | 880 | 0.81 | $172,110 | $62,090 | $254,820 | +1% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 7,010 | 1.20 | $168,520 | $105,750 | $231,430 | -4% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 2,350 | 1.22 | $167,350 | $107,790 | $220,950 | -2% |
| Aerospace Engineers | 1,220 | 2.06 | $166,980 | $99,450 | $249,340 | +24% |
| Veterinarians | 700 | 0.96 | $162,930 | $103,830 | $211,500 | +25% |
| Computer Network Architects | 2,480 | 1.58 | $160,340 | $99,110 | $218,400 | +20% |
| Financial Managers | 9,990 | 1.36 | $157,990 | $86,240 | $293,390 | -5% |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | 1,070 | 3.28 | $156,750 | $101,400 | $197,050 | +12% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 740 | 1.11 | $156,750 | $81,200 | $204,360 | -3% |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 830 | 0.88 | $156,730 | $91,730 | $228,030 | -6% |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 1,880 | 2.22 | $156,520 | $101,670 | $215,270 | +20% |
| Purchasing Managers | 1,070 | 1.46 | $151,990 | $93,930 | $195,450 | +3% |
| Managers, All Other | 6,920 | 1.27 | $148,700 | $80,910 | $202,250 | +5% |
| Human Resources Managers | 1,980 | 1.03 | $146,370 | $87,150 | $232,080 | -2% |
| Marketing Managers | 3,430 | 1.00 | $140,180 | $80,430 | $241,500 | -16% |
| Software Developers | 16,850 | 1.14 | $138,900 | $87,290 | $223,550 | +2% |
These figures are for the whole Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $59,070 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.0% |
| Retail trade | 11.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.5% |
| Public administration | 9.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 7.8% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 7.6% |
| Construction | 7.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.4% |
| Manufacturing | 5.7% |
| Other services | 5.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.4% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.1% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Essex lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore County | 850,796 | $73,114 million | $85,935 | 374,470 | 23,271 | $71,051 | +2.0% | 3.6% | 450,376 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 68,918 | 21.6% | $61,226 | 1.28 |
| Retail trade | 42,228 | 13.3% | $41,919 | 1.13 |
| Accommodation and food services | 27,824 | 8.7% | $28,387 | 0.82 |
| Professional and technical services | 26,518 | 8.3% | $110,423 | 1.02 |
| Administrative and waste services | 25,237 | 7.9% | $54,460 | 1.14 |
| Construction | 24,489 | 7.7% | $83,022 | 1.25 |
| Finance and insurance | 17,596 | 5.5% | $131,700 | 1.16 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 17,403 | 5.5% | $53,304 | 1.10 |
| Manufacturing | 13,033 | 4.1% | $83,490 | 0.42 |
| Wholesale trade | 11,848 | 3.7% | $96,713 | 0.80 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 11,746 | 3.7% | $54,732 | 1.04 |
| Educational services | 9,072 | 2.8% | $50,466 | 1.17 |
| Real estate and rental | 7,093 | 2.2% | $84,911 | 1.22 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 5,760 | 1.8% | $80,574 | 0.92 |
| Information | 3,770 | 1.2% | $109,994 | 0.54 |
| Management of companies | 3,623 | 1.1% | $125,142 | 0.57 |
| Utilities | 1,366 | 0.4% | $138,941 | 0.96 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 866 | 0.3% | $49,028 | 0.29 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 132 | 0.0% | $92,377 | 0.09 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 73.1% |
| Public transit | 4.1% |
| Walk | 1.1% |
| Work from home | 7.5% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 19.3% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,168 |
| Income per person | $35,849 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,319 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 23.6% |
| Median home value | $258,900 |
| Homeowners | 61.3% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 104.5 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $59,070 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 6.50%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 41.8 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 86.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 19.9% |
| Born abroad | 8.3% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 65.2% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.6 | 31 | 69 |
| Feb | 0.5 | 33 | 71 |
| Mar | 5.0 | 41 | 87 |
| Apr | 11.4 | 53 | 93 |
| May | 17.1 | 63 | 100 |
| Jun | 22.3 | 72 | 118 |
| Jul | 25.3 | 78 | 117 |
| Aug | 24.5 | 76 | 113 |
| Sep | 20.8 | 69 | 111 |
| Oct | 13.8 | 57 | 109 |
| Nov | 7.4 | 45 | 82 |
| Dec | 2.2 | 36 | 98 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle River | MD | 3 mi | 31,712 | $78,398 | $1,636 |
| Dundalk | MD | 4 mi | 65,969 | $64,520 | $1,473 |
| Rosedale | MD | 4 mi | 20,002 | $85,711 | $1,378 |
| Perry Hall | MD | 7 mi | 29,105 | $106,244 | $1,706 |
| Parkville | MD | 8 mi | 30,549 | $79,178 | $1,526 |
| Carney | MD | 8 mi | 28,343 | $83,620 | $1,793 |
| Baltimore | MD | 9 mi | 573,243 | $62,177 | $1,331 |
| Towson | MD | 11 mi | 58,679 | $101,320 | $1,764 |
| Edgewood | MD | 11 mi | 24,922 | $80,772 | $1,375 |
| Pasadena | MD | 12 mi | 34,309 | $129,727 | $2,393 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
40,580 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,319 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 23.6% of the median household income.
$67,168 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.6% (BLS county, Baltimore County (latest month 2026M09)).
Maryland. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.