Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Somerset and Watford 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.
Somerset
E06000066 · Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Watford
E07000103 · Hertfordshire Constabulary
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
590,972
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
483,314 more in Somerset
107,658
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£36,279
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£6,940 more in Watford
£43,219
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£281,571
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£114,814 more in Watford
£396,385
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,006
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£817 more in Watford
£1,823
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
2.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
1.9 percentage points higher in Watford
4.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+704
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
319 more in Somerset
+385
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,561
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£114 more in Somerset
£2,447
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
19.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
2.9 more in Somerset
16.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
18.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
4.0 percentage points higher in Watford
22.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
89.7
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
20.2 more in Watford
109.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
7.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.4 years more in Watford
9.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
33.3%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
17.3 percentage points higher in Watford
50.6%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
7.06%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
1.40 percentage points higher in Somerset
5.66%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
9,576
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
2,909 more in Watford
12,485
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,646
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
221 more in Somerset
3,425
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 590,972 in Somerset and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £36,279 in Somerset and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £281,571 in Somerset and £396,385 in Watford (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 590,972 in Somerset and 107,658 in Watford (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £36,279 in Somerset and £43,219 in Watford (2025); and average house price was £281,571 in Somerset and £396,385 in Watford (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 | Somerset per 1,000 | offences | Watford per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 89.7 | 52,995 | 109.9 | 11,828 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.5 | 268 | 1.7 | 188 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.9 | 1,719 | 2.6 | 283 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.4 | 3,754 | 6.9 | 738 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 1.2 | 687 | 4.3 | 464 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.8 | 1,091 | 1.7 | 182 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.3 | 3,151 | 9.2 | 994 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.5 | 323 | 1.0 | 103 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.3 | 4,895 | 6.5 | 704 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 603 | 1.3 | 143 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 8.1 | 4,789 | 8.0 | 858 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 73 | 1.7 | 179 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 2.3 | 1,352 | 6.0 | 646 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 38.1 | 22,515 | 37.2 | 4,008 | 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 (590,972 and 107,658 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.