City · Essex

Chelmsford area guide

Who lives in Chelmsford, how they live, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Council: Chelmsford
Region: East of England
Population: 115,909 (2024)

ChelmsfordCity · Essex

At a glance

What Chelmsford is like

Chelmsford is a city in the East of England. It is home to about 115,909 people across 46,333 households. 65.6% of households own their home, 18.3% rent privately and 14.7% are in social housing. The largest age group is 30–34, and 61.4% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is broadly in line with the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Chelmsford compares

Headline figures for Chelmsford, set against England as a whole.

AffluenceMore

7.4/ 10

Around the middle. Scored from 1 (most deprived in England) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

7/ 10

Around the middle: 32.1 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

5.0/ 10

Good: 1 station within a mile, 55 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

97%

Rated good or better across 36 inspected schools in Chelmsford.

Household incomeMore

£67,100

Average annual income before tax, higher than 80% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Chelmsford differs most from the national average.

01
Well-rated schoolsPositive
97% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Chelmsford FAQs

Is Chelmsford a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 7.4 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 32.1 per 1,000 people a year, band 7 of 10 nationally. 97% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10 (good).

Is Chelmsford safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 32.1 offences per 1,000 people a year around Chelmsford, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 7 of 10.

Who lives in Chelmsford?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 30–34, at 7.5% of residents. 65.6% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (32.4%).

How well connected is Chelmsford?

Connectivity scores 5.0 out of 10.

There are 55 bus stops within 800m and 1 station or tram stop within a mile, scoring 5.0 out of 10 (good). The nearest station is Chelmsford Rail Station, 0.5 miles away.

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS); ONS mid-year population estimates; police recorded crime; the English, Welsh and Scottish indices of deprivation; ONS small area income estimates; ONS private rents; DfE, Welsh and Scottish school registers and Ofsted; DfT NaPTAN; ORR estimates of station usage. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

Explore