Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Birmingham and Chelmsford 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.
Birmingham
E08000025 · West Midlands Police
Chelmsford
E07000070 · Essex 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
1,176,960
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
986,390 more in Birmingham
190,570
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£35,989
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£10,190 more in Chelmsford
£46,179
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£234,150
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£148,953 more in Chelmsford
£383,103
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,093
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£349 more in Chelmsford
£1,442
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
10.0%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
7.3 percentage points higher in Birmingham
2.7%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+9,703
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
8,870 more in Birmingham
+833
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,363
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£63 more in Birmingham
£2,300
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
38.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
25.0 more in Birmingham
13.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
41.7%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
27.1 percentage points higher in Birmingham
14.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
124.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
43.5 more in Birmingham
80.5
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
6.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.8 years more in Chelmsford
8.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
36.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
1.1 percentage points higher in Chelmsford
37.5%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.57%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
1.59 percentage points higher in Birmingham
4.98%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
12,711
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
983 more in Birmingham
11,728
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,364
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
437 more in Chelmsford
3,801
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 1,176,960 in Birmingham and 190,570 in Chelmsford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,989 in Birmingham and £46,179 in Chelmsford (2025); and average house price was £234,150 in Birmingham and £383,103 in Chelmsford (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 1,176,960 in Birmingham and 190,570 in Chelmsford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,989 in Birmingham and £46,179 in Chelmsford (2025); and average house price was £234,150 in Birmingham and £383,103 in Chelmsford (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 | Birmingham per 1,000 | offences | Chelmsford per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 124.0 | 145,894 | 80.5 | 15,347 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.6 | 698 | 0.6 | 118 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 5.7 | 6,702 | 2.7 | 519 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.5 | 11,157 | 5.1 | 966 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 4.1 | 4,832 | 3.9 | 741 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.2 | 2,564 | 1.8 | 341 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 7.5 | 8,860 | 5.5 | 1,039 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 3.0 | 3,506 | 0.7 | 142 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 7.4 | 8,755 | 5.3 | 1,016 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 3.2 | 3,709 | 0.7 | 133 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 10.7 | 12,627 | 8.4 | 1,595 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 1,642 | 0.6 | 114 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 10.4 | 12,274 | 3.8 | 721 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 52.8 | 62,138 | 33.9 | 6,453 | 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 (1,176,960 and 190,570 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.