Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 32/100
F
Median home value$258,900
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$1,319/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
Baltimore 32%
Essex
Baltimore County40,580 residentsBaltimore County Public Schools
51
D+
Suburbgrade score
55th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
51
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Essex yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 51 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Essex is like to live in, by category
Bars show Essex against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency36th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.8
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate88%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index78
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.05%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 43/100
D
Mean commute29.4 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes54%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi5.3
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 68/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés44
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks68
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 37/100
F
Median household income$67,168
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment6.2%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations34%
Baltimore 52%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Essex yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Essex on housing & affordability
Essex's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Fallston16 mi from EssexB+ 57 C− Honeygo7 mi from EssexB 59 C Arnold18 mi from EssexB 63 C+ Severna Park16 mi from EssexB 66 C+ Crofton24 mi from EssexB− 63 C+ Ilchester18 mi from EssexB− 71 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Essex
Is Essex, MD a good place to live?
Essex scores 51 out of 100, 55th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Essex expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $258,900, 34% below the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.05%. $1,319/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Essex?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Essex sit at the 36th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 14.8 student–teacher ratio. Essex is served by Baltimore County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Essex?
The mean commute is 29.4 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 7.5% working from home. Transit density is 5.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Essex?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 44 restaurants and cafés and 68 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Essex old or new?
The median home in Essex was built in 1965 — older than the Baltimore median of 1976. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 75% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.