Living in Essex, MD
Suburb in Maryland
Essex is a suburb in Maryland, home to about 41,000 people, with 2.6 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Essex a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 7 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
- Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
- Easy flying: BWI is 15 mi away
👎 Cons
- Few dog parks: 34 within 9 mi
- Fewer graduates: 19% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Essex ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Essex: common questions
What is the cost of living in Essex?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $277k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,360 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Essex?
Maryland collects about $1,897 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.14% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Essex safe?
Essex isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
What is the weather like in Essex?
Essex has cool winters: winter days average around 46°F and summer days around 88°F, with roughly 19″ of snow a year.
Does Essex get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from heat waves and flooding: 10 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.6 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Essex?
The nearest major airport is BWI, about 15 mi away.
How Essex scores
Each bar compares Essex with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Essex
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Maryland.
Is Essex right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.