City · Essex

Colchester area guide

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

Council: Colchester
Region: East of England
Population: 137,828 (2024)

ColchesterCity · Essex

At a glance

What Colchester is like

Colchester is a city in the East of England. It is home to about 137,828 people across 53,886 households. 58.1% of households own their home, 25.7% rent privately and 15.5% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 57.4% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is above the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Colchester compares

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

AffluenceMore

5.7/ 10

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

CrimeMore

7/ 10

Around the middle: 40.4 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

7.0/ 10

Very good: 3 stations within a mile, 50 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

98%

Rated good or better across 50 inspected schools in Colchester.

Household incomeMore

£61,356

Average annual income before tax, higher than 70% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Colchester differs most from the national average.

01
A student area
11.9% of adults are full-time students, against 7.9% across England. Expect HMO demand and term-time turnover.
02
A young populationPositive
23.8% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
03
A big private rental marketPositive
25.7% of households rent privately, against 20.5% across England. Tenant demand is established here.
04
Well connectedPositive
3 stations within a mile and 50 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.
05
Well-rated schoolsPositive
98% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better.

Questions

Colchester FAQs

Is Colchester a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 5.7 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 40.4 per 1,000 people a year, band 7 of 10 nationally. 98% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 7.0 out of 10 (very good).

Is Colchester safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 40.4 offences per 1,000 people a year around Colchester, above the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 7 of 10.

Who lives in Colchester?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 8.5% of residents. 58.1% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (29.9%).

How well connected is Colchester?

Connectivity scores 7.0 out of 10.

There are 50 bus stops within 800m and 3 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 7.0 out of 10 (very good). The nearest station is Colchester City Rail Station, 0.4 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.

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