Essex County, Massachusetts
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — shifted 8.8pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 40 presidential elections on record
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 64.5% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 24.1% |
▶Black / African American(15) | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 3.6% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 1.3% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.4% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 37.0% | 75.3% |
| Other | 4.2% | 8.5% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 3.3% | 6.7% |
| Mainline Protestant | 3.3% | 6.7% |
| Orthodox Christian | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Black Protestant | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Non-religious | 50.9% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+20.2 |
| 2020 | Biden+29.1 |
| 2016 | Clinton+21.9 |
| 2012 | Obama+16.2 |
| 2008 | Obama+20.3 |
| 2004 | Kerry+17.7 |
| 2000 | Gore+22.0 |
| 1996 | Clinton+28.1 |
| 1992 | Clinton+11.9 |
Essex, Massachusetts is a county that has a population of 813,054. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+20.2. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 58.9% | 38.7% | D+20.2 | R+8.8 |
| 2020 | 63.4% | 34.4% | D+29.1 | D+7.2 |
| 2016 | 56.6% | 34.7% | D+21.9 | D+5.7 |
| 2012 | 57.5% | 41.2% | D+16.2 | R+4.1 |
| 2008 | 59.1% | 38.8% | D+20.3 | D+2.6 |
| 2004 | 58.2% | 40.5% | D+17.7 | R+4.3 |
| 2000 | 57.5% | 35.4% | D+22.0 | R+6.1 |
| 1996 | 58.7% | 30.6% | D+28.1 | D+16.2 |
| 1992 | 43.6% | 31.7% | D+11.9 | D+10.9 |
| 1988 | 49.7% | 48.6% | D+1.1 | D+11.1 |
| 1984 | 44.8% | 54.8% | R+10.1 | R+5.3 |
| 1980 | 39.0% | 43.8% | R+4.7 | R+18.1 |
| 1976 | 55.0% | 41.6% | D+13.3 | D+6.8 |
| 1972 | 53.0% | 46.5% | D+6.5 | R+19.1 |
| 1968 | 61.0% | 35.4% | D+25.6 | R+23.3 |
| 1964 | 74.3% | 25.3% | D+48.9 | D+34.9 |
| 1960 | 56.9% | 42.9% | D+14.0 | D+34.4 |
| 1956 | 39.7% | 60.1% | R+20.4 | R+8.8 |
| 1952 | 44.0% | 55.6% | R+11.7 | R+21.1 |
| 1948 | 53.6% | 44.2% | D+9.4 | — |
What defines Essex?
It has a racially mixed, moderately educated electorate — the urban swing demographic that decides close elections.
County in State Context
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Explore this county's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Democratic landslide with a 20.2% margin
- College attainment is 43% — 10pp above the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Democratic lean nationally
Located In
Essex sits inside these higher-level geographies.