While health insurance is widespread in Essex County, as it is throughout Massachusetts, the county continues to face a range of health concerns including: asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and mental health challenges.
In 2023, just 4% (or about 23,200 residents) of Essex County residents under 65 lacked health insurance. That was similar to the state and below the national rate of 9%.
Among children, 8% of Essex County students in grades K-8 had asthma in 2025, slightly below the statewide rate of 10% and down from 2012. About 25% of Essex children were considered overweight in 2022, slightly above the state rate but 10 percentage points lower than in 2011.
In 2021-23, a national survey found rates of drug use among adults and youth were similar to the state, but that marijuana use was a bit higher in Essex than in the nation for both groups. In 2024, Essex County’s overdose death rate was 2.3 per 10,000 residents, lower than in 2018, on par with both the state and nation, but higher than all comparison counties.
State treatment data show that substance use remains a serious problem, though treatment admissions have declined. Essex County had 101 substance abuse treatment admissions per 10,000 residents in 2024, down 37% from 2018 and below the state rate. Heroin and alcohol were the most common primary drugs, making up nearly three-quarters of admissions.
In other areas of behavioral health and general health, Essex County more closely mirrors other areas:
- About 5% report suffering from mental illness, similar to the state.
- The rate of new cancers was 43 per 10,000 and similar to the state, slightly below the nation.
- The county’s cancer mortality rate was 18 deaths per 10,000 residents in 2024, similar to the state and nation.
- Heart disease mortality was 17 deaths per 10,000 residents in 2024, similar to the state rate and sligtly lower than the national rate.
In 2024, the suicide rate was 1.1 deaths per 10,000 residents, higher than in 2015 and higher than the state rate of 0.8.
Essex County had a relatively high rate of newly diagnosed diabetes cases in 2023, at 65 per 10,000 residents, above both state and national rates. Despite that, the county’s rate has declined 13% since 2014.