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Chelmsford

Interactive map displaying Chelmsford

About

Chelmsford district sits in the heart of Essex in the East of England and is centred on the city of Chelmsford, the county town that was granted city status in 2012. The city grew around the River Chelmer and the River Can and retains a mix of civic buildings, a cathedral and a market history. The Marconi company established wireless works here and the district still marks that early connection to radio: the museum and local place names recall experiments and broadcasts made from Chelmsford in the early 20th century. The mainline station provides frequent links to London and regional centres.

Beyond the city, the district contains villages, commons and farmland across the Essex plain. Hylands House and Park host public events while Writtle and Danbury reflect agricultural and horticultural traditions, including teaching and research connected to local colleges. The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation runs through the area, used historically for trade and now for leisure. Together the city and surrounding settlements form a council area with a mix of transport routes, green spaces and built heritage that reflects both industrial and rural histories.

Area overview

On average Chelmsford has low deprivation and average crime levels, with around 67 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 18% below the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. Approximately 11.3% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Chelmsford is £67,812 per year. There are 68 schools in Chelmsford: 57 primary (5 Outstanding and 45 Good) and 11 secondary (3 Outstanding and 7 Good). Chelmsford is home to around 181,523 people, with a population density of about 535.9 per km².

Crime rate
6/10
Crimes per 1k residents
67
Deprivation level
4/10
Income level
8/10
Social housing
11.3%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Chelmsford Population
181,523
Population density
535.9 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
35.37(+12%)
Shoplifting
8.47(+24%)
Anti-social behaviour
6.1(-47%)
Public order
5.8(+13%)
Other theft
5.56(+2%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
150,758
83.05%
Other White
8,005
4.41%
Indian
4,728
2.6%
African
3,373
1.86%
Other Asian
1,820
1%
Total population: 181,523

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
50,086
33.9%
Level 3 (A level)
25,917
17.54%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
22,513
15.24%
No qualifications
22,401
15.16%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
15,318
10.37%
Total 16+ residents: 147,738

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
27,057
35.88%
Owns with a mortgage
25,691
34.07%
Private landlord or letting agency
10,479
13.9%
Other social rented
8,398
11.14%
Social rents from council
1,619
2.15%
Total households: 75,401

Property prices in Chelmsford

Median price£405,000
Price per sq ft£428
Sales (last 12 months)2,128
Typical range (middle 50%)£315K – £541K

Based on 2,128 recent sales, the median property price is £405,000 (about £428 per square foot) in Chelmsford area, with individual transactions ranging from £75,000 up to £3,480,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Chelmsford over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached615£600,000£446
Semi-Detached599£435,000£439
Terraced486£360,000£439
Flats428£220,500£370

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Chelmsford

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Chelmsford.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£496,250£200,000£349,995£290,000
2017£510,000£205,000£355,000£296,000
2018£524,998£212,200£365,000£300,000
2019£530,000£220,000£360,000£300,000
2020£523,250£211,000£375,000£308,000
2021£565,000£215,000£390,000£325,000
2022£625,000£238,500£425,000£360,000
2023£600,000£220,000£425,000£350,000
2024£595,000£220,000£418,000£350,000
2025£595,000£225,000£430,000£360,000
2026£560,000£212,500£430,000£349,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Chelmsford.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Chelmsford.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£359£356£360£349
2017£372£346£375£365
2018£371£373£377£359
2019£376£360£374£368
2020£385£354£380£383
2021£410£367£408£385
2022£440£398£450£435
2023£446£375£446£429
2024£446£385£432£428
2025£445£372£438£431
2026£439£370£436£433
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Chelmsford.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Chelmsford in the last year.

Frequently asked questions about Chelmsford

Is Chelmsford safe?

Chelmsford records about 67 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a average crime rate for England: it scores 6 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

Which is the safest ward in Chelmsford?

Among the 20 wards of Chelmsford, South Woodham-Chetwood and Collingwood has the lowest crime rate, with about 24 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (the Chelmsford average is 67 per 1,000) based on official Police.uk data.

What is the average house price in Chelmsford?

The median sale price in Chelmsford is £405,000 (about £428 per square foot) based on 2,128 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Chelmsford?

Chelmsford has 57 primary schools (5 rated Outstanding, 45 Good) and 11 secondary schools (3 rated Outstanding, 7 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Chelmsford?

Chelmsford scores 4 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Chelmsford sits around rank 21,947 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in Chelmsford?

The average household income in Chelmsford is around £67,812 per year, and 11% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Who are the MPs for Chelmsford?

Chelmsford spans 3 parliamentary constituencies, represented by Chelmsford: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrats), Maldon: John Whittingdale (Conservative and Unionist Party) and North West Essex: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative and Unionist Party).

CM1 7BG

Constance Close

CM1 6BB

Honor Link

CM1 1BB

Montrose Road

CM1 1BA

High Street

CM1 3AA

Farrow Road

CM1 6FU

Centenary Way

CM1 1DG

Burgess Springs

CM1 1BS

Market Road

CM1 7FE

Pearson Grove

CM1 7SR

Turkey Oaks

CM3 5BL

Brickfields Road

CM1 2QT

Ash Tree Crescent

CM1 1GD

Bond Street

CM1 1FG

Waterloo Lane

CM1 2UA

Rossendale

CM3 5BF

Merchant Street

CM1 1FW

Coval Lane

CM1 6TR

Ashurst Drive

CM1 1AW

Brook Street

CM1 2NS

Lawford Lane

CM2 9AX

Bruce Grove

CM3 5PN

The Chase

SS11 7FE

Runwell Chase

CM1 2QE

Baynes Place

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.