Essex County GIS Maps
Essex County, Virginia, has 10,599 residents and covers 257.1 square miles. The population declined 5% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for Essex County is 51057.
Tappahannock is the county's largest population center. Essex County also includes 7 zip codes, 1 public school district and 13 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Essex County Trends
- Population
- 10,599▾
- Median Home Value
- $228,600▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 1,092▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Essex County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Essex County Population
Essex County had 10,599 residents in 2020. That was 5% lower than in 2010. Essex County added 610 people between 2000 and 2020, which points to steady long-term growth. The county is fairly spread out, with about 41 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Tappahannock, Dunnsville and Caret.
Population Trend in Essex County VA
Essex County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Essex County Zip Codes
Essex County has 7 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Tappahannock (22560), Dunnsville (22454) and Caret (22436). Tappahannock is the largest zip by population, with about 6,465 residents or 61% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 86% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Essex County VA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22560 | Tappahannock | 6,465 | ▾ -3.6% |
| 22454 | Dunnsville | 1,994 | ▴ 11% |
| 22436 | Caret | 618 | ▾ -17.2% |
| 22438 | Champlain | 426 | ▾ -8% |
| 22476 | Champlain | 333 | ▾ -9.8% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Essex County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Essex County Demographics
Essex County has a median age of 47.1, which makes the county a little older than Virginia overall. About 18% of residents are under 18, while 23.6% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 26.2% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 17.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 41.5%. The county is majority White by population, with Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents making up a meaningful share of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Essex County VA
Median Age
47.1
Under 18
18%
Age 65+
23.6%
Bachelor's+
17.5%
Essex County School Districts
Essex County is served by 1 public school district with 1,092 students enrolled in 2024. Several larger districts account for a substantial share of students across the county map area. Those three districts account for about 100% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, but it is slightly lower than it was in 2017.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Essex County VA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County Public Schools | 1,092 | 100% | ▾ -6.1% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Essex County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Essex County Housing & Real Estate
Essex County has a median home value of $228,600 and a median gross rent of $967. About 69% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Virginia median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $366,238 and homes spent about 65 days on the market.
Essex County Housing Mix
Essex County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Essex County Housing Trends
Essex County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Essex County, VA
Essex County has 549 business listings across 245 categories. The largest categories in Essex County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (18, 3.3%), Baptist Church (17, 3.1%), and Gas Stations (15, 2.7%). The full Essex County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Essex County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Essex County, VA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 18 | 3.3% |
| Baptist Church | 17 | 3.1% |
| Gas Stations | 15 | 2.7% |
| Religious Organization | 8 | 1.5% |
| Landmark And Historical Building | 8 | 1.5% |
| Medical Offices | 8 | 1.5% |
| Restaurants | 7 | 1.3% |
| Automotive Parts And Accessories | 7 | 1.3% |
| Auto Repair | 7 | 1.3% |
| Public And Government Association | 7 | 1.3% |
Essex County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Hundley Seed Co | Agricultural Service | Champlain |
| Millers Greenhouses | Agriculture | Tappahannock |
| Atkinson Aircraft Maintenance | Aircraft Repair | Tappahannock |
| Tappahannock-Essex County Airport | Airport | Tappahannock |
| Applebee's | American Restaurants | Tappahannock |
| Essex County Animal Shelter | Animal Shelters | Tappahannock |
| Acme Antiques | Antique Store | Tappahannock |
| Sears Hometown Stores | Appliance Store | Tappahannock |
| Tappahannock Art Gallery | Art Gallery | Tappahannock |
| Spun Things | Arts And Crafts | Tappahannock |
| Download Essex County business listings | ||
Essex County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Essex County Basemaps
Essex County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Essex County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Essex County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Essex County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.