Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Colchester and West Suffolk 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.
Colchester
E07000071 · Essex Police
West Suffolk
E07000245 · Suffolk Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Colchester
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
201,163
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
11,756 more in Colchester
189,407
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£39,353
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£275 more in West Suffolk
£39,628
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£298,003
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£1,124 more in Colchester
£296,879
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,196
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£17 more in Colchester
£1,179
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.1%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.6 percentage points higher in Colchester
2.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+1,728
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,824 more in Colchester
−96
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,283
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£69 more in West Suffolk
£2,351
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
17.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.2 more in Colchester
16.2
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
18.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.8 percentage points higher in Colchester
15.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
92.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
31.8 more in Colchester
60.5
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
7.6 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.1 years more in Colchester
7.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
36.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
0.8 percentage points higher in Colchester
35.7%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.80%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.13 percentage points higher in West Suffolk
5.93%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,867
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
590 more in Colchester
10,277
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,483
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
186 more in West Suffolk
3,669
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 201,163 in Colchester and 189,407 in West Suffolk (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,353 in Colchester and £39,628 in West Suffolk (2025); and average house price was £298,003 in Colchester and £296,879 in West Suffolk (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 201,163 in Colchester and 189,407 in West Suffolk (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,353 in Colchester and £39,628 in West Suffolk (2025); and average house price was £298,003 in Colchester and £296,879 in West Suffolk (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 | Colchester per 1,000 | offences | West Suffolk per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 92.3 | 18,570 | 60.5 | 11,454 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.3 | 262 | 0.4 | 83 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.8 | 559 | 2.5 | 478 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.3 | 1,265 | 5.8 | 1,095 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 2.5 | 503 | 2.0 | 372 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.7 | 343 | 1.9 | 369 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.7 | 1,153 | 4.4 | 836 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.8 | 165 | 1.1 | 209 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 6.4 | 1,294 | 4.1 | 771 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 199 | 0.4 | 82 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 8.4 | 1,682 | 3.9 | 736 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 109 | 0.3 | 55 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.5 | 1,110 | 2.3 | 436 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 40.2 | 8,078 | 27.3 | 5,175 | 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 (201,163 and 189,407 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.