Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Harlow and Southend-on-Sea 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
Southend-on-Sea
E06000033 · Essex Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Harlow
−5
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
86,671 more in Southend-on-Sea
185,214
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
£3,174 more in Southend-on-Sea
£41,554
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
£12,248 more in Southend-on-Sea
£325,586
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,518
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£222 more in Harlow
£1,296
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)
439 more in Southend-on-Sea
+768
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
£34 more in Harlow
£2,265
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
2.4 more in Southend-on-Sea
24.0
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
26.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.3 percentage points higher in Harlow
25.2%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
106.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
5.9 more in Southend-on-Sea
112.1
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
0.4 years more in Harlow
7.8 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
0.54 percentage points higher in Harlow
5.45%
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
1,987 more in Southend-on-Sea
12,050
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,081
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
184 more in Southend-on-Sea
3,265
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 98,543 in Harlow and 185,214 in Southend-on-Sea (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £41,554 in Southend-on-Sea (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £325,586 in Southend-on-Sea (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 185,214 in Southend-on-Sea (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £38,380 in Harlow and £41,554 in Southend-on-Sea (2025); and average house price was £313,338 in Harlow and £325,586 in Southend-on-Sea (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 | Southend-on-Sea per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 106.2 | 10,462 | 112.1 | 20,766 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.5 | 148 | 1.2 | 220 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.3 | 328 | 3.3 | 613 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.3 | 819 | 7.2 | 1,334 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 5.6 | 554 | 5.2 | 971 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.9 | 192 | 2.0 | 365 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 6.7 | 661 | 6.5 | 1,208 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.6 | 162 | 1.3 | 243 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.5 | 835 | 6.8 | 1,261 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.2 | 115 | 1.3 | 237 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.6 | 745 | 11.5 | 2,137 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 74 | 0.8 | 141 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 6.3 | 618 | 5.5 | 1,022 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 42.1 | 4,146 | 47.4 | 8,773 | 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 185,214 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.