39Alpha

Essex County, MA Housing Market Brief

county · MA · as of May 2026

Buyer's

What is Essex County, MA’s Alpha Score?

The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.

Price Momentum20%
-4.864
Inventory Health25%
40
Affordability20%
4
Economic Strength20%
+1.048
Rental Yield15%
36

Where is Essex County, MA in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Essex County, MA is classified as Decliningcooling, with scores declining over recent months. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

Essex County, MA housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$717K-0.1%
Median Days on Market21 days▲ +10.5%
Months of Supply2.3▲ +27.8%
Homes for Sale1,312▲ +19.5%
Homes Sold569-8.8%
Median Price / Sq Ft$398-2.3%
Sale-to-List Ratio102.3%-1.1%

How has Essex County, MA’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 39
3-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Essex County, MA

Frequently asked questions

Is Essex County, MA a buyer's or seller's market?

As of May 2026, Essex County, MA is classified as a Buyer's Market, based on its Alpha Score of 39 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, inventory, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.

Are home prices rising or falling in Essex County, MA?

The median sale price in Essex County, MA is $717K, having held roughly steady over the past year.

How affordable is Essex County, MA?

Essex County, MA scores 4 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.

What's driving Essex County, MA's Alpha Score?

Essex County, MA's strongest dimension is Price Momentum (64/100) and its weakest is Affordability (4/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.

Want the live, interactive view of Essex County, MA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.