Ashford: local statistics
Ashford is a district council area in the South East, home to an estimated 142,523 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Ashford, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
142,523 people lived in Ashford in mid-2025, according to the ONS, up 1.2% on a year earlier. That is 17,943 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 14.4% (the South East: +8.1%). That is 7th of 64 in the South East, counting from the fastest growth. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
Median weekly pay for full-time employees who live in Ashford was £743.10 in April 2025 (£37,440 a year). It is 49th of 64 in the South East, counting from the highest, and 8.8% less than across the South East. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £699.20, £43.90 lower. In 2015 the residents' median was £549.00, so it has risen 35% before inflation.
An estimated 74.7% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Ashford were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 6.3 points); the figure for the South East was 78.9%. Its lowest reading in the series was 69.5% and its highest 81.8%.
Average Band D council tax in Ashford is £2,410.16 for 2026-27, up £98.97 on 2025-26. It is the 45th highest of the 64 council areas in the South East. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,539.58, so it has risen 57%.
The average house price in Ashford was £347,562 in July 2026, a rise of 1.4% in twelve months. That is 41st of 64 in the South East, counting from the highest; the average for the South East was £380,878. This July figure is the highest in the series, 33% up on July 2016. The average price is 9.3 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Ashford. That ratio is mid-table in the South East, 32nd of 64.
A girl born in Ashford in 2022 to 2024 could expect to live 83.9 years and a boy 80.3 years, on the ONS's period measure (England: 83.3 and 79.5). For women that is 0.1 years more than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.3 less. It is the 40th highest for women of the 64 council areas in the South East.
The police recorded 64.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford in the year to March 2026 (9,197 offences in all), mid-table in the South East, 25th of 55. The rate was 70.1 in the year to March 2025. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 51.9 to 100.3 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
7,540 businesses were registered for VAT or PAYE in Ashford in March 2026, 13% more than in 2016. That is 53 for every 1,000 residents, 21st of 64 in the South East, counting from the highest.
2.9% of Ashford residents aged 16 to 64 (2,515 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026; the rate for the South East was 3.1%. The rate was the same a year earlier. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 2.8% (May 2023) and 4.4% (August 2021).
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 124,580 |
| 2016 | 126,327 |
| 2017 | 128,049 |
| 2018 | 129,701 |
| 2019 | 130,466 |
| 2020 | 131,431 |
| 2021 | 133,221 |
| 2022 | 135,671 |
| 2023 | 138,692 |
| 2024 | 140,812 |
| 2025 | 142,523 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £260,814 |
| July 2017 | £281,796 |
| July 2018 | £288,802 |
| July 2019 | £290,621 |
| July 2020 | £291,034 |
| July 2021 | £311,978 |
| July 2022 | £338,077 |
| July 2023 | £343,017 |
| July 2024 | £342,950 |
| July 2025 | £342,888 |
| July 2026 | £347,562 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £549.00 a week |
| 2016 | £544.30 a week |
| 2017 | £559.30 a week |
| 2018 | £580.10 a week |
| 2019 | £607.50 a week |
| 2020 | £571.90 a week |
| 2021 | £597.90 a week |
| 2022 | £673.40 a week |
| 2023 | £667.50 a week |
| 2024 | £699.00 a week |
| 2025 | £743.10 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,539.58 |
| 2017-18 | £1,595.42 |
| 2018-19 | £1,675.18 |
| 2019-20 | £1,776.98 |
| 2020-21 | £1,848.43 |
| 2021-22 | £1,940.76 |
| 2022-23 | £2,000.40 |
| 2023-24 | £2,100.73 |
| 2024-25 | £2,202.18 |
| 2025-26 | £2,311.19 |
| 2026-27 | £2,410.16 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 51.9 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 62.4 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 87.1 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 100.3 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 89.8 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 76.9 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 87.6 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 81.6 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 76.8 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 70.1 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 64.5 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 75.6% |
| 2016/17 | 80.8% |
| 2017/18 | 75.5% |
| 2018/19 | 77.1% |
| 2019/20 | 81.8% |
| 2020/21 | 80.6% |
| 2021/22 | 69.5% |
| 2022/23 | 73.3% |
| 2023/24 | 70.5% |
| 2024/25 | 75.9% |
| 2025/26 | 74.7% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.8 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.9 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.8 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 84.1 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 84.1 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 84.0 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.6 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 83.2 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.3 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.6 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.9 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 6,695 |
| 2017 | 6,980 |
| 2018 | 7,190 |
| 2019 | 7,410 |
| 2020 | 7,535 |
| 2021 | 7,560 |
| 2022 | 7,430 |
| 2023 | 7,340 |
| 2024 | 7,455 |
| 2025 | 7,500 |
| 2026 | 7,540 |
Questions about Ashford
What is the population of Ashford?
The ONS estimates 142,523 people lived in Ashford in mid-2025.
What is the average salary in Ashford?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Ashford was £743.10 a week in April 2025 (£37,440 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
How much is Band D council tax in Ashford?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,410.16 for 2026-27.
What is the average house price in Ashford?
£347,562 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+1.4% on a year).
What is life expectancy in Ashford?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 80.3 years for men and 83.9 for women.
What is the crime rate in Ashford?
64.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Ashford?
2,515 in August 2026 (2.9% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
Who has power over Ashford
Every body that makes decisions for Ashford, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Ashford council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Ashford in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Ashford: Sojan Joseph (Labour) MP
- Weald of Kent: Katie Lam (Conservative) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Kent Police recorded some offences without a partnership area, so Kent figures may be lower than the full count. Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South East
- UK figures: UK population · UK average weekly earnings growth · UK employment rate
- Other council areas in the South East: Eastleigh · Elmbridge · Isle of Wight · Thanet · Tonbridge and Malling · Waverley
Related questions
- What is the population of my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.