Net Income Per Common Share and Net Income Per Common Unit (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2023	Mar. 31, 2022
Basic:
Net income available to common stockholders	$ 153,532	$ 73,254
Weighted average common shares/units (in shares)	64,458,535	65,275,775
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders (in dollars per share)	$ 2.38	$ 1.12
Diluted:
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders	$ 153,532	$ 73,254
Income from continuing operations available to common stockholders (in shares)	64,459,689	65,339,378
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders (in dollars per share)	$ 2.38	$ 1.12
Essex Portfolio, L.P.
Basic:
Net income available to common stockholders	$ 158,936	$ 75,817
Weighted average common shares/units (in shares)	66,724,428	67,558,239
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders (in dollars per share)	$ 2.38	$ 1.12
Diluted:
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders	$ 158,936	$ 75,817
Income from continuing operations available to common stockholders (in shares)	66,725,582	67,621,842
Net income available to common stockholders/unitholders (in dollars per share)	$ 2.38	$ 1.12
Stock options
Basic:
Income effect of dilutive securities	$ 0	$ 0
Effect of dilutive securities (in shares)	1,154	63,603
Diluted:
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount (in shares)	476,748	79,687
Stock options | Essex Portfolio, L.P.
Basic:
Income effect of dilutive securities	$ 0	$ 0
Effect of dilutive securities (in shares)	1,154	63,603
Diluted:
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount (in shares)	476,748	79,687
Convertible units
Diluted:
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount (in shares)	2,265,893	2,282,464
Income allocated to convertible OP Units	$ 5,400	$ 2,600