Census Data for Essex

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Essex a population of 742 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Essex a population of 798 people.

The city of Essex is located in Page County. The 2010 Census gave Page County; a population of 15,932 people. This means that Essex had 5.01% of the county's total population, making it Page's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, Iowa had a population of 3,046,355 people, meaning that Essex had 0.03% of the total population of Iowa - making it the state's 347th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Essex has a total area of 1.5 square miles [3.9 km²].

Page County has a land area of 534 square miles [1,385.5 km²]. At 1.5 square miles [3.9 km²], Essex has 0.28% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Essex, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Essex reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Essex might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   40° 49' 57"   (or 40.83°)
  • Lon:   -95° 18' 13"   (or -95.3°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Essex had 372 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 798 people, this averages 2.15 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Essex had a land area of 1.5 square miles [3.9 km²]. This translates to 247.2 Housing Units per square mile [95.4 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Essex had 393 Housing Units, a population of 884 people and a land area of 1.51 square miles [3.9 km²]. This gives a density of 2.25 people per Housing Unit and 260.8 Housing Units per square mile [100.7 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Essex and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Page County ...

The community of Essex is located in Page County<4>.

The county had a population of 15,932 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 798 people, Essex represented 5.01% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Essex has a population density of 530 people per square mile [204.7 people/km²], Page County averages 29.78 people per square mile [11.5 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Page County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Essex, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Essex. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Essex or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Essex, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Essex.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   40.832679°   (or 40°49'57" N)
  • Lon:   -95.303807°   (or -95°18'13" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   40.833016°   (or 40°49'58" N)
  • Lon:   -95.305208°   (or -95°18'18" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 405.5 feet to the east<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2394702) to Essex. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Essex. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   40.832679°   (or 40°49'57" N)
  • Lon:   -95.303806°   (or -95°18'13" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 0.78 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Essex. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Essex.

Miscellaneous Information for Essex ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Page County or the city of Essex:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Essex:
  • GNIS ID for Essex: 2394702
  • GNIS ID for Page County: 465261
  • GNIS ID for State of Iowa: 1779785

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 19 (Iowa)
  • County Code: 145 (Page County)
  • Place Code: 25815 (Essex)
  • State & County Code: 19/145 (Iowa / Page County)
  • State & Place Code: 19/25815 (Iowa / Essex)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Essex is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Essex, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Essex. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Essex:51638<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Essex.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Essex. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)