# Essex, Massachusetts — #2,686 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.21 of 10. FIPS 25009. Population 810,089. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 810,100 people live in Essex, Massachusetts. It ranks #2,686 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #7 of 14 in Massachusetts. The combined sales tax is 6.25%, lower than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.02% of a home's value each year, more than in 72% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 76% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 62% of counties. Life expectancy is at least 80 years, longer than in 91% of counties. Air quality is better than in 54% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 40), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 96% of counties. On this site's state scores, Massachusetts gets 6.72 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 0 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.72 |  |
| 2A | state | 0.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.97 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 3.91 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 9.05 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.32 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.90 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.22 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 10.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 7.63 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 3.24 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2775 Suffolk, Massachusetts — https://libertymoving.org/counties/25025.md
- #2524 Middlesex, Massachusetts — https://libertymoving.org/counties/25017.md
- #218 Rockingham, New Hampshire — https://libertymoving.org/counties/33015.md
- #349 Hillsborough, New Hampshire — https://libertymoving.org/counties/33011.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/25009
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=25009
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy