Essex County is located in northeastern New York. The eastern boundary of Essex County is Lake Champlain, which serves as the New York-Vermont border. Essex County has a total area of approximately 1916 square miles of which 94% is land and 6% water. It is the second largest county by square miles in New York. As of the census of 2000, there were 38,851 people, 15,028 households, and 9,828 families residing in Essex County, New York. Out of the state's 58 counties, Essex County ranks as the seventh least populous.