Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Medway and Swale 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.
Medway
E06000035 · Kent Police
Swale
E07000113 · Kent Police
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
292,697
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
132,026 more in Medway
160,671
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£39,622
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,190 more in Medway
£38,432
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£296,182
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£2,212 more in Swale
£298,394
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,236
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£133 more in Medway
£1,103
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.2%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.7 percentage points higher in Medway
3.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+1,307
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,228 more in Medway
+79
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,329
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£77 more in Swale
£2,406
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
24.4
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.3 more in Swale
26.7
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
23.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.4 percentage points higher in Swale
24.2%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
101.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
3.3 more in Medway
98.6
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
7.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.3 years more in Swale
7.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
37.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
3.0 percentage points higher in Medway
34.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.88%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.38 percentage points higher in Swale
6.26%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,423
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
273 more in Medway
10,149
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,256
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
131 more in Swale
3,386
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 292,697 in Medway and 160,671 in Swale (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,622 in Medway and £38,432 in Swale (2025); and average house price was £296,182 in Medway and £298,394 in Swale (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 292,697 in Medway and 160,671 in Swale (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,622 in Medway and £38,432 in Swale (2025); and average house price was £296,182 in Medway and £298,394 in Swale (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 | Medway per 1,000 | offences | Swale per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 101.9 | 29,823 | 98.6 | 15,839 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.7 | 216 | 0.5 | 77 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.3 | 673 | 2.3 | 373 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.7 | 2,560 | 9.6 | 1,537 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.7 | 1,077 | 2.4 | 390 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 3.0 | 873 | 3.1 | 496 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 6.8 | 1,981 | 5.7 | 909 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.1 | 321 | 1.0 | 162 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 4.6 | 1,349 | 3.7 | 592 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 295 | 0.7 | 112 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.1 | 2,091 | 7.9 | 1,274 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 134 | 0.2 | 33 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 4.2 | 1,234 | 3.9 | 623 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 37.6 | 11,003 | 35.5 | 5,704 | 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 (292,697 and 160,671 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.