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 2016

• In mid-2016 Colchester's population was estimated to stand at 186,635.
• In mid-2016 approximately 119,500 individuals were aged 16-64, equating to approximately 64% of the total population.
• An estimated 31,100 people in Colchester were 65+ in mid-2016 accounting for an estimated 17% of the population.

Mid 2016 - Population Estimates

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

Please go to our dedicated Census Page to find out more!

A profile of people living in Colchester

You can find a profile of Colchester. It paints a broad picture including data on population trends, lifestyles, health, education, inequalities, economy, transport and housing.

This portrait of the local authority area is one of a series of profiles for each of the districts and boroughs in Essex shown on the JSNA District Strategic Reports page of Essex Insight - https://www.essexinsight.org.uk/grouppage.aspx?groupid=19.

The series forms 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) 2015

• Deprivation is measured using the IMD 2015
• The higher the IMD 2015 score or rank is the more deprived an area is.
• Colchester Is ranked 4th in Essex on average score for IMD.
• Colchester has Four LSOA's in the top 10% of most deprived in the country found in wards St Andrews, St Anne's and Harbour.
• The least levels of deprivation are in Bergholt in West Bergholt and Eight Ash Green, Rectory in Wivenhoe Quay, and Layer in Birch and Winstree.

Full Colchester Report

Health

Key areas of concern are:

• Smoking during pregnancy;
• Statutory Homelessness
• Excess Winter Deaths

Please follow this link to access the 2013 Health Profile for Colchester.

Crime

• In  the 12 months ending 30 June 2013, 10,359 incidents were reported (and included in the Crime Survey for England and Wales data). 
• Criminal Damage and Arson made up the highest proportion of reported incidents (16.2%) or 1,679 incidents.        

Have a look at the Crime Survey for England and Wales data on the ONS website for more detail.

Housing

• 912 homes were built between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017.
• 100 units of affordable housing were completed between April 2016 and March 2017.   

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

Economy

• In Jul 2016-Jun 2017 approximately 77.3% of the working age population were in employment.
• In 2016 approximately 6.9% of working age Colchester residents had no qualifications.
• In November 2016 0.8% of individuals aged 16-64 were claiming Job Seekers Allowance.                                                      
• In November 2016 7,960 individuals were claiming key out of work benefits.

Have a look at our Quarterly Economic Report for more information or Nomis.

Resident Survey

• In the 2013 resident survey we asked some key questions about how people feel about their local area

Resident survey summary

Essex-wide Comparison Statistics

This document shows some of the key facts and figures on housing, planning deprivation, health and crime for each area of Essex (January 2012)

Essex Council's comparison document