English Population in Essex County, MA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The English population in Essex County, MA is recorded at 77,505 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Every city in Essex County reports some English residents. With no unincorporated share evident in the totals, this points to a completely city-based population. The sections below explores how English residents are distributed in Massachusetts and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest English population in Essex County

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  • 1
    Haverhill
    English population in Haverhill is 6,031
    8.95% of Haverhill population is English
  • 2
    Beverly
    English population in Beverly is 5,919
    13.96% of Beverly population is English
  • 3
    Peabody
    English population in Peabody is 4,483
    8.27% of Peabody population is English
  • 4
    Andover town
    English population in Andover town is 4,353
    11.94% of Andover town population is English
  • 5
    Salem
    English population in Salem is 4,322
    9.77% of Salem population is English

Overview of English population in Essex County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Essex County contains 77,505 English residents (9.6% of 807,258 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 98th percentile nationally among counties and 78th percentile within Massachusetts for English demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Essex County's English demographic representation of 9.6%, corresponding to Massachusetts's state average while exceeding the national average of 9.1%, placing the county at state demographic averages while above national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Essex County's 77,505 English residents constitute 11.5% of Massachusetts's total English population of 671,339, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 11.5% of all Massachusetts English Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Essex County maintains 157.4 English Americans per square mile compared to Massachusetts's average of 86.1, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
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34 Cities in Essex County Ranked by English Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm English populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Haverhill, Beverly, Peabody, and Andover town. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 34 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Essex County, MA ranked by English population count
Rank by English Population
City
English Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Essex County English Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Haverhill 6,031 8.95% 7.78%
2 Beverly 5,919 13.96% 7.64%
3 Peabody 4,483 8.27% 5.78%
4 Andover town 4,353 11.94% 5.62%
5 Salem 4,322 9.77% 5.58%
6 North Andover town 3,893 12.55% 5.02%
7 Gloucester 3,874 12.97% 5.00%
8 3,538 12.67% 4.56%
9 3,360 6.33% 4.34%
10 3,254 3.22% 4.20%
11 3,118 15.33% 4.02%
12 3,103 16.82% 4.00%
13 2,558 18.51% 3.30%
14 2,512 14.54% 3.24%
15 2,138 7.48% 2.76%
16 1,765 11.61% 2.28%
17 1,686 13.01% 2.18%
18 1,554 16.86% 2.01%
19 1,483 21.26% 1.91%
20 1,378 18.20% 1.78%
21 1,263 18.77% 1.63%
22 1,258 14.88% 1.62%
23 1,111 13.62% 1.43%
24 1,101 20.51% 1.42%
25 1,088 1.23% 1.40%
26 1,006 14.91% 1.30%
27 994 15.21% 1.28%
28 948 14.13% 1.22%
29 939 9.65% 1.21%
30 879 19.38% 1.13%
31 769 12.38% 0.99%
32 741 20.14% 0.96%
33 618 12.54% 0.80%
34 468 14.06% 0.60%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Essex County, MA by their English population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines English population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having English ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as English alone, while others identify as English along with another race (such as English and German).
  • We’ve used the “English alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the English population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as English alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as English .
  2. % of Total Essex County English Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. English population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small English populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported English population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where English populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.