Essex County
Living in Essex County, New Jersey
22 towns, one train line into Midtown without a transfer, and a price range that runs from Newark’s $400s to Short Hills estates above $2M. Essex County trades Hudson County’s waterfront density for a yard, a train schedule, and a school district you pick on purpose.
Essex County at a Glance
Essex County at a Glance: The Essentials
Location & size: 129 square miles in northeastern New Jersey, founded in 1683, home to 896,379 residents across 22 towns.
The county seat: Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, with roughly 310,000 residents and its own international airport.
Home prices (2026): from the $400s in parts of Newark to $1.1M to $1.3M in Montclair and Millburn, and above $2M in Short Hills.
Commute to NYC: Midtown Direct rail reaches Penn Station in 28 to 40 minutes with no transfer. Newark Penn Station reaches it in about 18 minutes on the Northeast Corridor.
Best known for: Branch Brook Park’s 5,300 cherry blossom trees, the largest collection in the United States, and top-rated school districts in Millburn, Montclair, and South Orange-Maplewood.
Compared to Hudson County: more space per dollar, a longer but one-seat train ride, and a school district you choose instead of a building you choose.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, home values updated May 2026 by town, NJ Transit, and Branch Brook Park Alliance. Figures move with the market; contact our team for current numbers by town.
Essex County is not one market. It is 22 towns that share a county line and almost nothing else about their price tags.
Newark sits at one end with entry prices in the $400s and its own airport. Short Hills sits at the other with estate homes above $2 million and a train station older than the automobile. Millburn Township chartered the Short Hills rail stop in 1872, making it the first planned commuter town in the country, and the same Morris and Essex rail line still carries residents into Penn Station without a transfer at Newark or Hoboken today.
We work Hudson County full time. What draws our clients to Essex County is the trade they can name out loud: a longer commute in exchange for a yard, a driveway, and a public school district they picked rather than inherited from whichever building had a unit available. This guide covers where that trade works best, town by town, and where the math stops favoring Essex.
Twenty-two towns, one team that knows the train schedule for each.
Tell us your commute tolerance and your school priorities, and we will point you at the towns worth touring.
The Towns
Six Essex County Towns, Six Different Markets
Essex County holds 22 municipalities. These six come up most often in client conversations, ranked by what they cost and who they fit.
Millburn & Short Hills
Short Hills was chartered as a rail stop in 1872, the first planned commuter town in the country. Average home values run $1.33M in Millburn and $2.39M in Short Hills, updated May 2026. Best forBuyers who want the top school district and can afford the entry price. Browse Millburn & Short HillsMontclair
An arts-driven downtown and Victorian and Craftsman housing stock. The average home value is $1,204,654, up 8.0% over the past year. Best forBuyers who want culture and diversity within a fast commute. Browse Montclair ListingsSouth Orange & Maplewood
Known together as SOMA. Both sit on the Midtown Direct line and share Columbia High School. Maplewood averages $811,268, with South Orange closer to $1.05M. Best forFamilies who want a walkable downtown and a single school district. Browse SOMA ListingsNewark
The county seat and New Jersey’s largest city. Newark Penn Station reaches Manhattan in about 18 minutes on the Northeast Corridor, and the Ironbound neighborhood averages $567,928. Best forFirst-time buyers and investors who prioritize commute time over square footage. Browse Newark ListingsWest Orange
Home to Turtle Back Zoo and a share of the 2,100-acre South Mountain Reservation. Larger lots and more square footage per dollar than neighboring Millburn. Best forBuyers who want space and parks without the Millburn price tag. Browse West Orange ListingsLivingston & The Caldwells
Larger lots, cul-de-sac streets, and a car-first layout further from the rail line. The trade-off for space is a longer drive to the train. Best forBuyers prioritizing yard size over walk-to-train convenience. Browse Livingston ListingsPrice by Tier
What Essex County Costs
A single countywide median would hide more than it shows. These three tiers describe where most Essex County transactions land, drawn from public housing data by town.
Entry Tier
$400K TO $650K
Newark and parts of Belleville and Irvington. North Ironbound’s average sits well below the county median.
Family Rail Towns
$720K TO $1.2M
South Orange, Maplewood, and Montclair. All on the Midtown Direct line.
Luxury Rail Towns
$1.3M TO $2.4M+
Millburn and Short Hills, the county’s highest-priced Midtown Direct stops.
Home values updated May 2026 by town, plus U.S. Census American Community Survey data. Confirm current pricing with our team before making an offer.
Browse Current ListingsThe Buyers
Who Moves to Essex County?
The family trading a condo for a yard
They ran the numbers on staying in Hoboken versus buying in Maplewood or Montclair and chose the school district and the driveway. Columbia High School serves both South Orange and Maplewood and is one of the most diverse public high schools in the country.
The Manhattan downsizer moving to Millburn or Short Hills
They want the fastest, most reliable train in the county and a house that does not require a renovation. Short Hills homes are selling in about 11 days this year, so this buyer moves fast once they decide.
The first-time buyer starting in Newark
Entry prices in the Ironbound run in the $400s to $600s, and Newark Penn Station puts Manhattan 18 minutes away, faster than most Midtown Direct towns further out.
The investor buying rental demand near the rail line
Newark and North Ironbound both carry strong rental demand tied to Penn Station access. One-bedrooms in North Ironbound run $2,195 to $2,920 a month as of mid-2026.
Branch Brook Park · Newark
5,300
Japanese cherry blossom trees, the largest collection in the United States, more than Washington D.C.’s National Mall
Source: Branch Brook Park Alliance, 2026
The Commute
Commuting from Essex County to New York City
Essex County runs on two rail lines and an airport, not a ferry. Here is what each option costs you in minutes.
Midtown Direct
28 MIN
South Orange & Maplewood → NY Penn Station, no transfer
Morris & Essex Line trains run straight into Penn Station. Millburn and Short Hills add roughly 10 more minutes.
Northeast Corridor
18 MIN
Newark Penn Station → NY Penn Station
The fastest rail option in the county. Newark Penn also connects to PATH trains into Lower Manhattan.
Newark Liberty Airport
EWR IN COUNTY
AirTrain to Newark Penn Station, then rail or PATH
The only county on this site with its own international airport inside the county line.
The Comparison
Essex County vs. Hudson County: Which Fits You?
We work Hudson County every day, and this is the honest trade-off we walk clients through when Essex County comes up.
Essex County
Single-family homes with real yards, in a range from Newark’s $400s to Short Hills estates above $2M.
A one-seat Midtown Direct train, 28 to 40 minutes, or 18 minutes from Newark Penn on the Northeast Corridor.
School districts you choose by town, including Millburn, Montclair, and South Orange-Maplewood.
Hudson County
Condos and walkable downtowns, no yard, and a shorter commute measured in single digits to low teens.
PATH and ferry service that runs all day, not a peak-hour train schedule.
Waterfront density and nightlife within walking distance of home.
The Library
Guides & Resources
We track Essex County alongside our home base in Hudson County, and these 15 guides mix our own buying and selling expertise with the local authorities worth knowing on the ground here.
Buying Here
3 guidesLocal Resources
5 guidesSelling & Investing
2 guidesExplore Our Core Markets
5 guidesParks & Culture
What Fills the Weekends
The county park system and cultural venues that come up most often in client conversations.
Short Hills · Millburn Township
1872
The year Short Hills was chartered as a rail stop, making it the first planned commuter town built in the United States
Source: Millburn Township historical records
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Essex County
Work With Us
Thinking About Essex County?
We work Hudson County every day, and Essex County comes up in almost every relocation conversation we have. If you are weighing a condo in Hoboken against a house in Maplewood or Millburn, we can walk you through the real numbers on both sides before you decide.
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