Essex County, Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Essex County is located in Virginia with a total population of 10,604. It is the 115th most populous county out of 133 in Virginia. The county encompasses 1 Census-designated place.

Age Demographics

The median age in Essex County is 47.1 years. This is 21% higher than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Essex County is $56,481. This is 38% lower than the state median of $90,974. It is also 28% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 15.5%. This is 56% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.9%. The unemployment rate is 6.3%. This is 47% higher than the state rate of 4.3%. The median home value is $228,600. Housing costs are 37% lower than the state median of $360,700. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.0x. 69.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 3% higher than the state average of 67.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Essex County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 53.8% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 37.4%. The Black or African American population is significantly higher than the state average (37.4% vs 18.4%). The Hispanic or Latino population (4.3%) is well below the state average of 10.7%. The Asian population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 6.8%.

Education

17.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 58% lower than the state rate of 41.5%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 85.7%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Essex County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Virginia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.