About Essex

Essex is a somewhat small coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 6,505 people and just one neighborhood, Essex is the 118th largest community in Connecticut.

Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Essex is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Essex is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Essex who work in sales jobs (14.93%), management occupations (13.66%), and office and administrative support jobs (11.29%).

Of important note, Essex is also a town of artists. Essex has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Essex's character.

In addition, Essex is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates," which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

The town is also nautical, which means that parts of Essex are somewhat historic and bounded by the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Essex Information and Demographics

If knowledge is power, Essex is a pretty powerful place. 51.48% of the adults in Essex have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 14.96% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Essex in 2000 was $42,806, which is wealthy relative to Connecticut and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $171,224 for a family of four. However, Essex contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Essex home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Essex is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Essex include English, Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Swedish, Scottish, Russian, and French Canadian.

The most common language spoken in Essex is English. Some people also speak French.