Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Harlow and Portsmouth 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
Portsmouth
E06000044 · Hampshire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Portsmouth
−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
112,932 more in Portsmouth
211,475
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
£2,358 more in Harlow
£36,022
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
£62,339 more in Harlow
£250,999
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,518
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£151 more in Harlow
£1,367
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.2 percentage points higher in Harlow
4.4%
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)
1,315 more in Portsmouth
+1,644
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
£7 more in Harlow
£2,292
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
4.7 more in Portsmouth
26.4
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
26.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.6 percentage points higher in Harlow
25.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
106.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
19.3 more in Portsmouth
125.5
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
1.2 years more in Harlow
7.0 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
2.0 percentage points higher in Harlow
45.5%
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
0.37 percentage points higher in Portsmouth
6.36%
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
621 more in Harlow
9,443
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,081
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
86 more in Harlow
2,995
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 98,543 in Harlow and 211,475 in Portsmouth (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £36,022 in Portsmouth (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £250,999 in Portsmouth (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 211,475 in Portsmouth (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £36,022 in Portsmouth (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £250,999 in Portsmouth (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 | Portsmouth per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 106.2 | 10,462 | 125.5 | 26,542 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.5 | 148 | 1.9 | 410 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.3 | 328 | 2.8 | 584 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.3 | 819 | 7.4 | 1,565 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 5.6 | 554 | 4.7 | 984 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.9 | 192 | 1.9 | 404 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 6.7 | 661 | 6.9 | 1,466 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.6 | 162 | 2.1 | 442 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.5 | 835 | 10.0 | 2,111 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.2 | 115 | 1.8 | 384 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.6 | 745 | 13.5 | 2,865 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 74 | 0.8 | 172 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 6.3 | 618 | 6.0 | 1,272 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 42.1 | 4,146 | 52.2 | 11,038 | 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 211,475 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.