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Colchester

Interactive map displaying Colchester

About

Colchester district sits on the north Essex coast around the River Colne. The town of Colchester traces written records to Roman times, when it was called Camulodunum and served as a provincial capital; Colchester Castle occupies the site of a Roman temple and sections of the Roman wall and the Balkerne Gate are still visible in the townscape. The borough contains market streets, the Hythe riverside quay, and suburban neighbourhoods that grew around railway and road links to the rest of Essex and Suffolk.

Beyond the town, the district reaches the Colne estuary and includes Mersea Island, where shellfishing and seasonal mussel beds continue to shape local livelihoods. Wivenhoe Park and the University of Essex sit on the river, providing a mix of campus research and public parkland. Colchester Zoo, sited west of the town, is a regional attraction with conservation programmes. Agricultural land, small woodlands and estuarine salt marsh form much of the surrounding landscape, and local councils manage a range of historic sites, public rights of way and conservation areas across the district.

Area overview

On average Colchester has average deprivation and high crime levels, with around 78 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, in line with the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. Approximately 11.7% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Colchester is £61,956 per year. There are 76 schools in Colchester: 64 primary (8 Outstanding and 50 Good) and 12 secondary (2 Outstanding and 7 Good). Colchester is home to around 192,715 people, with a population density of about 587.2 per km².

Crime rate
7/10
Crimes per 1k residents
78
Deprivation level
5/10
Income level
6/10
Social housing
11.7%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Colchester Population
192,715
Population density
587.2 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
41.62(+32%)
Shoplifting
8.2(+20%)
Anti-social behaviour
8.08(-30%)
Criminal damage and arson
6.99(+10%)
Public order
6.74(+32%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
155,488
80.68%
Other White
10,602
5.5%
African
4,904
2.54%
Other Asian
3,536
1.83%
Indian
3,027
1.57%
Total population: 192,716

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
50,401
32.24%
Level 3 (A level)
30,420
19.46%
No qualifications
24,043
15.38%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
23,196
14.84%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
16,123
10.31%
Total 16+ residents: 156,342

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
26,126
32.78%
Owns with a mortgage
25,352
31.8%
Private landlord or letting agency
15,003
18.82%
Social rents from council
5,645
7.08%
Other social rented
4,940
6.2%
Total households: 79,711

Property prices in Colchester

Median price£325,000
Price per sq ft£347
Sales (last 12 months)2,321
Typical range (middle 50%)£250K – £410K

Based on 2,321 recent sales, the median property price is £325,000 (about £347 per square foot) in Colchester area, with individual transactions ranging from £64,750 up to £2,000,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Colchester over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached759£450,000£373
Semi-Detached670£325,000£358
Terraced535£270,000£346
Flats357£175,000£280

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Colchester

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Colchester.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£356,000£149,998£255,000£220,000
2017£374,995£160,000£272,500£230,000
2018£370,000£165,000£281,500£240,000
2019£369,995£162,000£275,000£238,995
2020£395,000£160,000£279,998£235,000
2021£420,000£170,000£305,000£255,000
2022£450,000£185,000£335,000£280,000
2023£465,000£175,000£330,000£275,000
2024£465,000£178,000£325,000£270,000
2025£455,000£176,000£327,000£275,000
2026£440,000£175,000£325,000£265,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Colchester.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Colchester.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£296£250£279£265
2017£311£260£293£281
2018£307£271£292£285
2019£312£268£296£290
2020£320£258£304£291
2021£342£275£322£303
2022£386£301£371£344
2023£389£289£366£344
2024£375£283£355£333
2025£380£281£358£340
2026£361£270£360£344
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Colchester.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

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

Frequently asked questions about Colchester

Is Colchester safe?

Colchester records about 78 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a high crime rate for England: it scores 7 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

Which is the safest ward in Colchester?

Among the 17 wards of Colchester, Rural North has the lowest crime rate, with about 35 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (the Colchester average is 78 per 1,000) based on official Police.uk data.

What is the average house price in Colchester?

The median sale price in Colchester is £325,000 (about £347 per square foot) based on 2,321 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Colchester?

Colchester has 64 primary schools (8 rated Outstanding, 50 Good) and 12 secondary schools (2 rated Outstanding, 7 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Colchester?

Colchester scores 5 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Colchester sits around rank 19,086 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 Colchester?

The average household income in Colchester is around £61,956 per year, and 12% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Who are the MPs for Colchester?

Colchester spans 3 parliamentary constituencies, represented by Colchester: Pam Cox (Labour Party), Harwich and North Essex: Bernard Jenkin (Conservative and Unionist Party) and Witham: Priti Patel (Conservative and Unionist Party).

CO4 5HD

Fieldview Close

CO4 5JB

Severalls Lane

CO2 7FH

Circular Road West

CO4 3FA

Valley Road

CO1 1NX

Church Street

CO3 0PN

Darnel Way

CO1 1DB

High Street

CO1 1DA

High Street

CO1 1AA

Williams Walk

CO4 9EB

Aldeburgh Gardens

CO3 8AB

Tollgate West

CO1 1JJ

Sir Isaac's Walk

CO4 5AL

Mill Road

CO4 5HH

Boxted Road

CO1 1QY

Moorside

CO1 2GF

The Chase

CO4 3GD

Capon Road

CO2 9GL

Corunna Drive

CO3 0AB

Peartree Road

CO2 8FU

Haven Road

CO5 0AA

Morley Road

CO2 0HH

Olivers Lane

CO4 5TS

Green Lane

CO2 8AJ

Whitehall Close

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.