ET English Towns Demographic explorer
Town profile

Colchester

Essex, East of England

A fast-expanding Essex city with military, university, and commuter influences across its neighbourhoods.

Rail links to London combine with local car commuting New-build estates expand the supply of family housing Education, defence, and business services all contribute strongly
Map

Colchester in context

Centred on the town at zoom level 8 using the local England vector tiles.

Colchester, Essex (51.8892, 0.9042)

Comparison summary

Key metrics across selected towns

Colchester

Essex, East of England

Population
142.7K
Median age
44.3 years
Median house price
£386,000
Average salary
£41,500
Employment rate
+74.3%
Green space
+36%
Inter-relationships

How Colchester balances local pull, services, and civic gravity

Local jobs base
Job diversity
Travel to work reach
Public sector weight
Hospital access
GP access
Primary school provision
Secondary school provision
High-street activity
Retail and leisure mix
Civic participation
Student presence
Change

Headline indicators for Colchester

Population change since 2011 +2.8% Mock rate of change based on the CSV row
Household change since 2011 +4.1% Useful for spotting supply and demand pressure
Average commute 21 mins Average journey time to work
Crime per 1,000 71 Illustrative rate only
Jobs 68.5K Estimated workplace jobs
Average salary £41,500 Rounded annual earnings
Primary schools 34 Simple public-service count
GP surgeries 32 Primary care points
Businesses 8,419 Mock business register count
Restaurants 1,056 Town-centre activity proxy
Efficient homes +20% Homes rated EPC C or above
Homes with solar +5% Illustrative household adoption
Population

Age, qualifications, and housing context

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 0-15 16-24 25-44 45-64 65+ Age profile
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% No formal Level 2 Level 3 Degree+ Qualifications
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Owned Private rent Social rent Other Household tenure
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Detached Semi-detached Terraced Flats Housing type
Employment

Sector mix and travel-to-work patterns

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Public services Industry Consumer services Technology Tourism Sector mix
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Drive Train Bus Cycle Walk Work from home Travel to work
Public and environment

Service access and local sustainability cues

Secondary schools 11
Hospitals 3
Students per 1,000 88
Charity residents per 1,000 247
Air quality score 82
Average rent £1,290