Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Harlow and Medway 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.
Harlow
E07000073 · Essex Police
Medway
E06000035 · Kent Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Medway
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
98,543
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
194,154 more in Medway
292,697
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£38,380
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,242 more in Medway
£39,622
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£313,338
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£17,156 more in Harlow
£296,182
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,518
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£282 more in Harlow
£1,236
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.4 percentage points higher in Harlow
4.2%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+329
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
978 more in Medway
+1,307
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,299
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£30 more in Medway
£2,329
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
21.7
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.7 more in Medway
24.4
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
26.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.7 percentage points higher in Harlow
23.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
106.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
4.3 more in Harlow
101.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.7 years more in Harlow
7.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
47.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
10.1 percentage points higher in Harlow
37.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.99%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.11 percentage points higher in Harlow
5.88%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,063
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
359 more in Medway
10,423
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,081
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
175 more in Medway
3,256
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 98,543 in Harlow and 292,697 in Medway (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £39,622 in Medway (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £296,182 in Medway (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 98,543 in Harlow and 292,697 in Medway (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £39,622 in Medway (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £296,182 in Medway (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 | Harlow per 1,000 | offences | Medway per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 106.2 | 10,462 | 101.9 | 29,823 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.5 | 148 | 0.7 | 216 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.3 | 328 | 2.3 | 673 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.3 | 819 | 8.7 | 2,560 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 5.6 | 554 | 3.7 | 1,077 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.9 | 192 | 3.0 | 873 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 6.7 | 661 | 6.8 | 1,981 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.6 | 162 | 1.1 | 321 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.5 | 835 | 4.6 | 1,349 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.2 | 115 | 1.0 | 295 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.6 | 745 | 7.1 | 2,091 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 74 | 0.5 | 134 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 6.3 | 618 | 4.2 | 1,234 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 42.1 | 4,146 | 37.6 | 11,003 | 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 (98,543 and 292,697 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.