Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Hertsmere 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.
Hertsmere
E07000098 · Hertfordshire Constabulary
Watford
E07000103 · Hertfordshire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Hertsmere
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
110,242
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
2,584 more in Hertsmere
107,658
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£43,813
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£594 more in Hertsmere
£43,219
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£560,436
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£164,051 more in Hertsmere
£396,385
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,817
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£6 more in Watford
£1,823
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.9 percentage points higher in Watford
4.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
−49
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
434 more in Watford
+385
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,406
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£41 more in Watford
£2,447
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
14.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.1 more in Watford
16.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
18.4%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.7 percentage points higher in Watford
22.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
88.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
21.0 more in Watford
109.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
12.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
3.6 years more in Hertsmere
9.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
49.8%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
0.8 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
5.49%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.17 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
14,220
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,736 more in Hertsmere
12,485
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,942
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
518 more in Hertsmere
3,425
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 110,242 in Hertsmere and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £43,813 in Hertsmere and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £560,436 in Hertsmere 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 110,242 in Hertsmere and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £43,813 in Hertsmere and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £560,436 in Hertsmere 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 | Hertsmere per 1,000 | offences | Watford per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 88.9 | 9,796 | 109.9 | 11,828 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 | 28 | 1.7 | 188 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 4.0 | 446 | 2.6 | 283 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.5 | 610 | 6.9 | 738 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 4.2 | 460 | 4.3 | 464 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.5 | 170 | 1.7 | 182 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 9.6 | 1,056 | 9.2 | 994 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.7 | 82 | 1.0 | 103 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 4.7 | 520 | 6.5 | 704 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.9 | 98 | 1.3 | 143 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 5.3 | 579 | 8.0 | 858 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.7 | 77 | 1.7 | 179 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.3 | 588 | 6.0 | 646 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 28.9 | 3,186 | 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 (110,242 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.