Key Statistics for Colchester

The borough of Colchester is situated in the north east of Essex, is approximately 60 miles from London and covers an area of approximately 125 square miles. The main town is Colchester but there are many surrounding small towns and villages of which the largest are Stanway, Tiptree, West Mersea and Wivenhoe. The countryside areas of the borough are mainly used for agriculture.

Colchester has a rich and vast heritage - as Camulodonum, it was the first capital of England and it is also Britain's oldest recorded town. The borough houses a large university of approximately 8,000 students and is also home to a garrison with capacity for approximately 4,000 military personnel.

Population mid-2019

• In mid-2019, Colchester’s population was estimated to stand at 194,706.
• This is an increase of 1.1% (2,183 people) from the figure recorded in mid-2018.
• In mid-2019, approximately 124,489 individuals were aged 16-64, equating to 64% of the total population.
• An estimated 33,618 people in Colchester were 65+ in mid-2019 accounting for an estimated 17.3% of the population.

Census 2011

The first release of Census data was released on the 16 July 2012.  This contained population and household information.  Census day was 27 March 2011.  

• On Census day the population of Colchester was estimated at  173,100
• The estimated number of households across the borough was 71,600 on Census day
• 16.7% of respondents in Colchester filled in their Census returns online.
• The overall response rate in Colchester was 94.2%.
• On Census day the resident population of Colchester was estimated at  173,100

We provide more information about previous and upcoming Census data on or dedicated Census page.

Colchester District Profile

You can find a profile of Colchester. It paints a broad picture including data on population trends, lifestyles, health and much more.

This portrait of the local authority area is one of a series of profiles for each of the districts and boroughs in Essex and is part of a suite of documents for the Essex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2019 on the Essex Open Data platform.

The Essex JSNA & District Profile Reports 2019 form part of the Essex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment which is intended to provide the evidence base for all commissioning across the county.

Deprivation - The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019

• Deprivation is measured using the IMD 2019
• The higher the IMD 2019 score or rank is the more deprived an area is.
• Colchester Is ranked 5th in Essex on average score for IMD.
• Colchester has one LSOA in the top 10% of most deprived in the country found in the ward of Greenstead.
• The least levels of deprivation are in Bergholt in Lexden and Braiswick, Drury in New Town and Christ Church, and Layer in Marks Tey and Layer.

Full Colchester Report

Health

Key areas of concern are:

• Smoking during pregnancy
• Rate of killed and seriously injured on roads

Please follow this link to access the 2019 Health Profile for Colchester.

Crime

• Between April 2019 and March 2020, 23,080 crimes were recorded in the Colchester borough.
• Violent crime, anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and arson, public order, shoplifting, and other theft made up the highest proportion of recorded offences.

Have a look at the Police UK Crime Map for more detail.

Housing

• 1,165 homes were built between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• 110 units of affordable housing were completed between April 2018 and March 2019

Have a look at the Authority Monitoring Reports for more detail.

Economy

• Between January 2019 and December 2019, approximately 72.9% of the working age population were in employment.
• During the same period, approximately 4.1% of working age Colchester residents had no qualifications.
• In April 2020, 4% of individuals aged 16-64 were claiming Universal Credit (including Job Seekers Allowance).