Colchester · England
Compare
Colchester council area. Every figure carries its own date.
See how Colchester compares with its nearest cities and England.
The figures cover the council areas named below. Some include large rural areas, so their size and circumstances can be very different.
- Chelmsford →About 31 km away in a straight line
- Southend-on-Sea →About 39 km away in a straight line
- Cambridge →About 61 km away in a straight line
How these cities and figures are chosen
The three nearest other official UK cities, measured in a straight line between the official representative place points, not by road or ferry distance. Cities across national borders are included. The same council area is not counted twice. These are geographical neighbours, not a ranking of similar economies or services. Each figure is compared only when its period, definition, unit and source are compatible. The national reference is the origin city's own nation, not an average of the selected cities.
Distances use official city location points, not council boundaries or driving routes. The selection stays the same when a figure is missing or cannot be compared. Each missing comparison is explained.
England is the national reference for this page. Its figures come from published country totals, not an average of these cities.
If this area has no figure, an available national figure sets the date and measure for the other rows. The local gap remains visible.
Sources and comparison method →People living in the area
This shows the size of each council area, not how well it is doing.
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 201,163 |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 190,570 |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 185,214 |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 149,872 |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 58,834,812 |
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All usual residents
Published mid-year estimate for the whole local authority area. This is not automatically the population of the named city settlement.
- Colchester: source and method · Mid-2025
- Chelmsford: source and method · Mid-2025
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · Mid-2025
- Cambridge: source and method · Mid-2025
- England: source and method · Mid-2025
Average home price
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | £298,000 |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | £378,000 |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | £328,000 |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | £475,000 |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | £293,000 |
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Homes in the local authority area
Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.
Prices are shown to the nearest £1,000 and are not adjusted for inflation.
- Colchester: source and method · July 2026
- Chelmsford: source and method · July 2026
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · July 2026
- Cambridge: source and method · July 2026
- England: source and method · July 2026
Average monthly rent
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | £1,197 |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | £1,439 |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | £1,306 |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | £1,805 |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | £1,459 |
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Homes in the local authority area
Official local housing data feed. House prices are provisional, not seasonally adjusted; rents use the Price Index of Private Rents. Local short-term estimates are variable. Country references use only the explicitly country-coded ctry object, never the local place object.
- Colchester: source and method · August 2026
- Chelmsford: source and method · August 2026
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · August 2026
- Cambridge: source and method · August 2026
- England: source and method · August 2026
People aged 65 or over
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 17.8% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 19.4% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 19.1% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 11.4% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 18.4% |
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All usual residents
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
People reporting bad or very bad health
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 4.2% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 3.6% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 5.6% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 3.2% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 5.2% |
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All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
People described their own health in the census. These figures are not adjusted for age, so they do not measure the quality of local health services.
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
Homes rented privately
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 22% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 16% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 26% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 31% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 20% |
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All households
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
People aged 16+ with no qualifications
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 15.4% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 15.2% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 19.7% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 9.6% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 18.1% |
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Residents aged 16 and over
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 32.2% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 33.9% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 27.2% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 55.8% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 33.9% |
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Residents aged 16 and over
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
Households facing at least one measured disadvantage
These census measures cover education, employment, health and housing. They do not measure income or poverty.
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 48.6% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 45.4% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 54.4% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 43.5% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 51.6% |
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All households
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages
These census measures cover education, employment, health and housing. They do not measure income or poverty.
| Place and area covered | Figure |
|---|---|
| Colchester (this area)Colchester local authority area | 15.4% |
| ChelmsfordChelmsford local authority area | 13.2% |
| Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea local authority area | 19.9% |
| CambridgeCambridge local authority area | 13.3% |
| EnglandWhole country · national picture | 18.1% |
Show the workings and sources
All households
Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator
- Colchester: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Chelmsford: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Southend-on-Sea: source and method · 21 March 2021
- Cambridge: source and method · 21 March 2021
- England: source and method · 21 March 2021