Essex County, MA vs Hillsborough County, NH
Neighbouring counties across the Massachusetts and New Hampshire state line, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 0.6 mi of border.
Essex County
Massachusetts
Hillsborough County
New Hampshire
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Hillsborough County spans about 74.6 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Essex County | Difference | Hillsborough County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 826,653 | +90.7% | 433,415 |
| Change since 2020 | 2.3% | -0.2 pp | 2.5% |
| Land area | 492.5 sq mi | -43.8% | 876.5 sq mi |
| Population density | 1,678 per sq mi | +239.7% | 494 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $101,883 | -1.6% | $103,545 |
| Median home value | $619,100 | +47.0% | $421,100 |
| Median age | 41.2 | +0.5% | 41.0 |
| Households | 313,147 | +85.6% | 168,740 |
| Housing units | 329,776 | +85.5% | 177,734 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Essex County holds about 1.9 times the population of Hillsborough County: 826,653 against 433,415.
- Hillsborough County covers more ground, at 876.5 square miles against 492.5.
- Essex County is the more crowded of the two, at 1,678 people per square mile against 494.
- Median household income is higher in Hillsborough County, by 1,662 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Essex County has grown by 2.3% and Hillsborough County has grown by 2.5%.
- They share 0.6 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.