Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Harrow and Watford 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.
Harrow
E09000015 · Metropolitan Police Service
Watford
E07000103 · Hertfordshire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Harrow
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
272,612
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
164,954 more in Harrow
107,658
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£45,232
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£2,013 more in Harrow
£43,219
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£524,160
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£127,775 more in Harrow
£396,385
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,773
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£50 more in Watford
£1,823
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.9%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.4 percentage points higher in Harrow
4.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+2,830
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
2,445 more in Harrow
+385
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,511
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£64 more in Harrow
£2,447
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
17.5
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.3 more in Harrow
16.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
25.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.4 percentage points higher in Harrow
22.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
81.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
28.6 more in Watford
109.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
11.6 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
2.4 years more in Harrow
9.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
47.0%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
3.6 percentage points higher in Watford
50.6%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.55%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.11 percentage points higher in Watford
5.66%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
15,185
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
2,700 more in Harrow
12,485
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,483
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
59 more in Harrow
3,425
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 272,612 in Harrow and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £45,232 in Harrow and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £524,160 in Harrow and £396,385 in Watford (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 272,612 in Harrow and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £45,232 in Harrow and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £524,160 in Harrow and £396,385 in Watford (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 | Harrow per 1,000 | offences | Watford per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 81.3 | 22,173 | 109.9 | 11,828 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.4 | 104 | 1.7 | 188 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 4.5 | 1,219 | 2.6 | 283 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 3.2 | 883 | 6.9 | 738 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.6 | 970 | 4.3 | 464 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 0.8 | 229 | 1.7 | 182 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.2 | 1,406 | 9.2 | 994 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.3 | 94 | 1.0 | 103 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 3.9 | 1,064 | 6.5 | 704 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 2.1 | 568 | 1.3 | 143 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 6.0 | 1,630 | 8.0 | 858 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 3.6 | 989 | 1.7 | 179 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 7.0 | 1,898 | 6.0 | 646 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 21.0 | 5,716 | 37.2 | 4,008 | 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 (272,612 and 107,658 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.