Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Braintree and Colchester compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Braintree
E07000067 · Essex Police
Colchester
E07000071 · Essex Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Colchester
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
166,471
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
34,692 more in Colchester
201,163
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£39,712
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£359 more in Braintree
£39,353
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£330,637
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£32,634 more in Braintree
£298,003
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,217
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£21 more in Braintree
£1,196
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
2.7%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.4 percentage points higher in Colchester
3.1%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+702
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,026 more in Colchester
+1,728
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,280
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£3 more in Colchester
£2,283
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
16.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.7 more in Colchester
17.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
17.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.7 percentage points higher in Colchester
18.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
60.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
32.3 more in Colchester
92.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.7 years more in Braintree
7.6 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
36.8%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
0.3 percentage points higher in Braintree
36.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.74%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.06 percentage points higher in Colchester
5.80%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,924
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
57 more in Braintree
10,867
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,755
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
272 more in Braintree
3,483
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 166,471 in Braintree and 201,163 in Colchester (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,712 in Braintree and £39,353 in Colchester (2025); and average house price was £330,637 in Braintree and £298,003 in Colchester (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 166,471 in Braintree and 201,163 in Colchester (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,712 in Braintree and £39,353 in Colchester (2025); and average house price was £330,637 in Braintree and £298,003 in Colchester (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Braintree per 1,000 | offences | Colchester per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 60.0 | 9,980 | 92.3 | 18,570 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.2 | 33 | 1.3 | 262 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.1 | 342 | 2.8 | 559 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.3 | 709 | 6.3 | 1,265 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 2.2 | 369 | 2.5 | 503 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.5 | 249 | 1.7 | 343 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 4.6 | 761 | 5.7 | 1,153 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.6 | 97 | 0.8 | 165 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 4.3 | 720 | 6.4 | 1,294 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 85 | 1.0 | 199 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.6 | 599 | 8.4 | 1,682 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 40 | 0.5 | 109 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 2.9 | 475 | 5.5 | 1,110 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 27.0 | 4,491 | 40.2 | 8,078 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (166,471 and 201,163 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.