Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Babergh and Colchester 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.
Babergh
E07000200 · Suffolk Constabulary
Colchester
E07000071 · Essex Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Colchester
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
97,833
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
103,330 more in Colchester
201,163
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£33,904
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£5,449 more in Colchester
£39,353
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£328,612
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£30,609 more in Babergh
£298,003
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£968
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£228 more in Colchester
£1,196
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
2.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.6 percentage points higher in Colchester
3.1%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
−5
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,733 more in Colchester
+1,728
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,342
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£59 more in Babergh
£2,283
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
15.4
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.0 more in Colchester
17.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
15.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.1 percentage points higher in Colchester
18.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
44.4
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
47.9 more in Colchester
92.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
9.7 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
2.1 years more in Babergh
7.6 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
34.3%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
2.2 percentage points higher in Colchester
36.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.91%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
1.11 percentage points higher in Babergh
5.80%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,769
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
98 more in Colchester
10,867
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
4,012
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
529 more in Babergh
3,483
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 97,833 in Babergh and 201,163 in Colchester (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £33,904 in Babergh and £39,353 in Colchester (2025); and average house price was £328,612 in Babergh and £298,003 in Colchester (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 97,833 in Babergh and 201,163 in Colchester (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £33,904 in Babergh and £39,353 in Colchester (2025); and average house price was £328,612 in Babergh and £298,003 in Colchester (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 | Babergh per 1,000 | offences | Colchester per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 44.4 | 4,347 | 92.3 | 18,570 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.1 | 8 | 1.3 | 262 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 1.7 | 165 | 2.8 | 559 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 428 | 6.3 | 1,265 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 1.1 | 111 | 2.5 | 503 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.0 | 98 | 1.7 | 343 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 3.1 | 305 | 5.7 | 1,153 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.7 | 66 | 0.8 | 165 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 3.0 | 293 | 6.4 | 1,294 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.1 | 11 | 1.0 | 199 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 2.2 | 213 | 8.4 | 1,682 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 15 | 0.5 | 109 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 2.0 | 192 | 5.5 | 1,110 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 21.2 | 2,072 | 40.2 | 8,078 | 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 (97,833 and 201,163 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.