County outline
Where Essex County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.4% of Essex County’s measured area and water for 1.6%. Its combined area converts to 1,744.2 square kilometers or approximately 431,006 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 662.371 | 1,715.533 | 423,917.4 |
| Water | 11.076 | 28.687 | 7,088.6 |
| Total | 673.447 | 1,744.22 | 431,006.1 |
How Essex County compares
By original Census land area, Essex County ranks #9 of 14 in Vermont and #1418 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.973 times the Vermont county-equivalent median of 680.6 square miles. It accounts for 7.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Vermont ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Essex County
The Census Bureau estimates that 6,051 people lived in Essex County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,802 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #14 of 14 in Vermont. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 5,922, the population has grown by 129 (+2.2%), compared with +0.2% for Vermont as a whole.
With 662.4 square miles of land, that is 9.1 people per square mile (3.5 per km²), placing Essex County #2,672 nationally for density and #14 in Vermont. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Vermont median is 57. Put another way, there are about 70 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 5,921 | 5,974 | 5,987 | 5,978 | 6,003 | 6,051 |
| Change | — | +53 | +13 | −9 | +25 | +48 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Essex County
Essex County is divided into 19 cities and towns. In Vermont, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents; a few are unorganized areas without their own government.
The most populous is Lunenburg town, with 1,266 residents (20.9% of the county). The largest by land is Brighton town, at 52.9 mi², or 8% of the county’s land. The county seat, Guildhall town, has 258 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Brighton town grew fastest since then (+8.5%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunenburg town | 1,266 | +0.7% | 45.2 | 6.8% |
| Brighton town | 1,251 | +8.5% | 52.9 | 8% |
| Concord town | 1,159 | +1.8% | 51.3 | 7.7% |
| Canaan town | 895 | −0.4% | 33 | 5% |
| East Haven town | 276 | +1.5% | 37.3 | 5.6% |
| Guildhall townCounty seat | 258 | −0.8% | 33 | 5% |
| Bloomfield town | 219 | +1.4% | 40.2 | 6.1% |
| Maidstone town | 208 | 0% | 30.7 | 4.6% |
| Norton town | 160 | +1.3% | 38.4 | 5.8% |
| Lemington town | 87 | −1.1% | 35.4 | 5.3% |
| Brunswick town | 84 | −1.2% | 24.8 | 3.7% |
| Granby town | 78 | +1.3% | 38.7 | 5.8% |
| Victory town | 69 | 0% | 43 | 6.5% |
| Ferdinand town | 19 | 0% | 52.9 | 8% |
| Averill town | 18 | 0% | 36 | 5.4% |
Show the other 4 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren's gore | 3 | 0% | 9.472 |
| Warner's grant | 1 | 0% | 3.199 |
| Avery's gore | 0 | — | 18.2 |
| Lewis town | 0 | — | 38.9 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Essex County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Essex County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Essex County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
058240583705840058460585805901059020590305904059050590605907
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Essex County
Essex County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 2 in New Hampshire. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Coos County (1,794.6 mi²) and the smallest is Caledonia County (649.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Essex County forms a block of 5,509.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 12%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Essex | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coos CountyNew Hampshire | 1,794.6 | 2.7× larger | Compare |
| Grafton CountyNew Hampshire | 1,708.6 | 2.6× larger | Compare |
| Orleans County | 694.5 | about the same | Compare |
| Caledonia County | 649.2 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Essex County compared with U.S. states?
Essex County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Vermont’s county land could hold about 14 areas the size of Essex County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.7 miles (41.4 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Essex County?
Essex County has more land than 1,804 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Essex County at #1,512 nationally by total area, 94 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.5 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Essex County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1417 | Evangeline Parish, Louisiana | 662.4 | Compare |
| #1418 | Essex County, Vermont | 662.4 | This county |
| #1419 | Fayette County, West Virginia | 662 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 44.724021, -71.732736. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,715,531,818 m²; AWATER: 28,687,244 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Essex County?
Essex County, Vermont has 662.4 square miles (1,715.5 km²) of land and 11.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 673.4 square miles. It ranks #1418 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Essex County the largest county in Vermont?
No. Essex County ranks #9 of 14 in Vermont by land area. The largest is Windsor County, with 969.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Essex County?
Essex County shares a land border with Coos County, New Hampshire, Caledonia County, Orleans County, and Grafton County, New Hampshire.
What is the population of Essex County?
The Census Bureau estimates Essex County had 6,051 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,802 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 9.1 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Essex County?
The county seat of Essex County is Guildhall.
What cities and towns are in Essex County?
Essex County has 19 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Lunenburg town, Brighton town, Concord town, Canaan town, and East Haven town.
Is Essex County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Essex County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Essex County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Essex County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Essex County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Essex County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 423,917 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 431,006 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.