Groundwork

Funeral services · County · New Jersey

Funeral homes in Essex County, NJ

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for funeral homes in Essex County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #329 of 1,472 scored counties
#10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
56
2 chain locations (4%)
Official establishments
28
−15.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$42M
On funerals · $131 a household
Spending per listing
$749K
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
1.8
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
896,379
+4.2% since 2020

See the funeral homes around any address in Essex County

The site report maps the funeral homes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Essex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $131 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $42M a year on funerals. That is about $749K of household spending for each home on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $679K.

There are 56 funeral homes on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 4%, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.8, 14% below the U.S. rate of 2.1.

Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Essex County in 2023, down 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 11,421 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $7.4M have gone to businesses classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Essex County.

Population estimates show Essex County grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for funeral homes, ranking #329 of 1,472 scored counties and #10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Essex County compares

The same measures for New Jersey and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all funerals by the funeral homes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Funeral homes in Essex County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureEssex CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households1.82.22.1
Spending per listing$749K$680K$679K
Households per official establishment11,4217,8478,510
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−15.1%−3.7%−1.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on funerals$131$151$143
Median household income$80,789$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score6663

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
33 → 28−15.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
225
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
562 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$7.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Essex County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Essex County

Population, 2025 estimate
896,379+4.2% since 2020
Households
319,788
Median age
38.6
Homes lived in by their owners
45%
Vehicles per household
1.3
Land area
126 sq. mi.
People per square mile
6,845
Median household income
$80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,554
Median home value
$524,100
Jobs located here
362,597
Daytime population
843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Essex County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the funeral homes on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Essex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Funeral homes across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for funeral homes, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for funeral homes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Ocean County, NJ78552.3$866K+5.6%#92 of 1,472
2Morris County, NJ77392.0$830K+3.2%#113 of 1,472
3Burlington County, NJ75392.2$721K+4.3%#154 of 1,472
4Somerset County, NJ73191.5$1.1M+3.5%#178 of 1,472
5Sussex County, NJ71101.7$840K+2.9%#221 of 1,472
6Bergen County, NJ70712.0$839K+2.4%#234 of 1,472
7Middlesex County, NJ69571.9$804K+2.6%#257 of 1,472
8Monmouth County, NJ69552.2$728K+1.4%#264 of 1,472
9Cape May County, NJ6692.0$867K−1.7%#325 of 1,472
10Essex County, NJ66561.8$749K+4.2%#329 of 1,472

Other business types in Essex County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many funeral homes are in Essex County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 56 funeral homes in Essex County. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count funeral homes, mortuaries and cremation services. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in 2023, down 15.1% from 2019.

How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on funerals?

About $42M a year, or $131 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 funeral homes on map listings, it comes to $749K per home. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for funeral homes?

Essex County has 1.8 funeral homes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 2.1. Spending per home is $749K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $679K. At the U.S. ratio of funeral homes to household spending, Essex County would have about 62, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 11,421 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Essex County scores 66 for funeral homes (upper middle), #329 of 1,472 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex County. It maps the funeral homes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for funeral homes · All 56 business types in Essex County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Essex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.