Southend-on-Sea: local statistics
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority in the East of England, home to an estimated 185,214 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 Southend-on-Sea, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Average Band D council tax in Southend-on-Sea is £2,265.17 for 2026-27, up £110.52 on 2025-26. It is the 3rd lowest of the 45 council areas in the East of England. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,432.63, so it has risen 58%.
Police recorded 17,869 crimes in Southend-on-Sea in the year to March 2026, 96.5 for every 1,000 residents, the 3rd highest rate in the East of England. That compares with 92.4 per 1,000 the year before. The highest rate in the series was 115.9, in the year to March 2022. Fraud is not included.
In mid-2025 the population of Southend-on-Sea was estimated at 185,214, a change of +0.4% in a year. That is 6,011 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 3.4% (the East of England: +8.5%). That is the 39th fastest growth of 45 in the East of England. No earlier year in the series was higher.
The claimant count for Southend-on-Sea stood at 4,785 in August 2026, or 4.2% of residents aged 16 to 64, compared with 3.3% in the East of England. The rate was the same a year earlier. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 4.1% (July 2026) and 6.3% (August 2021).
Life expectancy at birth in Southend-on-Sea is 82.9 years for women and 78.7 years for men (2022 to 2024), compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by -0.2 years for women and -0.7 for men. It is the 36th highest for women of 45 in the East of England.
Homes in Southend-on-Sea sold for an average of £328,383 in July 2026, up 1.6% on July 2025. Among council areas that puts it mid-table in the East of England, 25th of 45 (regional average £337,518). This July figure is the highest in the series, 31% up on July 2016. The average price is 7.9 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Southend-on-Sea. That ratio is the 30th highest ratio of 45 in the East of England.
The ONS counted 7,900 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Southend-on-Sea in March 2026, 3% more than in 2016. That is 43 for every 1,000 residents, the 38th highest of 45 in the East of England.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in Southend-on-Sea took home £810.20 a week before tax (£41,554 a year). It is mid-table in the East of England, 22nd of 45, and 0.7% more than across the East of England. Measured by where people work rather than where they live, the median is £670.80, £139.40 lower. In 2015 the residents' median was £541.20, so it has risen 50% before inflation.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 79.2% of Southend-on-Sea residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, with a margin of error of 3.3 points either way, against 78.3% across the East of England. Its lowest reading in the series was 76.0% and its highest 81.9%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 179,203 |
| 2016 | 180,465 |
| 2017 | 181,405 |
| 2018 | 181,877 |
| 2019 | 182,115 |
| 2020 | 181,276 |
| 2021 | 180,655 |
| 2022 | 180,685 |
| 2023 | 182,327 |
| 2024 | 184,503 |
| 2025 | 185,214 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £249,865 |
| July 2017 | £269,461 |
| July 2018 | £278,488 |
| July 2019 | £281,055 |
| July 2020 | £283,041 |
| July 2021 | £299,963 |
| July 2022 | £324,698 |
| July 2023 | £319,232 |
| July 2024 | £323,372 |
| July 2025 | £323,162 |
| July 2026 | £328,383 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £541.20 a week |
| 2016 | £561.90 a week |
| 2017 | £573.60 a week |
| 2018 | £593.40 a week |
| 2019 | £614.40 a week |
| 2020 | £638.00 a week |
| 2021 | £667.30 a week |
| 2022 | £701.00 a week |
| 2023 | £730.40 a week |
| 2024 | £828.90 a week |
| 2025 | £810.20 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,432.63 |
| 2017-18 | £1,499.06 |
| 2018-19 | £1,569.37 |
| 2019-20 | £1,654.85 |
| 2020-21 | £1,717.54 |
| 2021-22 | £1,784.70 |
| 2022-23 | £1,855.91 |
| 2023-24 | £1,953.35 |
| 2024-25 | £2,050 |
| 2025-26 | £2,154.65 |
| 2026-27 | £2,265.17 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 79.6 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 83.2 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 86.9 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 109.0 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 112.2 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 99.7 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 115.9 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 113.0 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 101.4 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 92.4 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 96.5 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 76.0% |
| 2016/17 | 76.0% |
| 2017/18 | 78.5% |
| 2018/19 | 79.9% |
| 2019/20 | 77.5% |
| 2020/21 | 79.1% |
| 2021/22 | 77.6% |
| 2022/23 | 78.3% |
| 2023/24 | 76.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81.9% |
| 2025/26 | 79.2% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.1 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.0 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 82.9 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.3 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.0 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 82.4 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.6 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 82.4 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 82.4 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 82.4 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 82.9 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 7,655 |
| 2017 | 7,885 |
| 2018 | 7,765 |
| 2019 | 7,890 |
| 2020 | 7,930 |
| 2021 | 7,880 |
| 2022 | 8,030 |
| 2023 | 7,930 |
| 2024 | 7,795 |
| 2025 | 7,850 |
| 2026 | 7,900 |
Questions about Southend-on-Sea
How much is Band D council tax in Southend-on-Sea?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,265.17 for 2026-27.
What is the crime rate in Southend-on-Sea?
Home Office figures show 17,869 offences in the year to March 2026, or 96.5 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
What is the population of Southend-on-Sea?
185,214 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Southend-on-Sea?
The ONS claimant count was 4,785 in August 2026, 4.2% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is life expectancy in Southend-on-Sea?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 78.7 years for men and 82.9 for women.
What is the average house price in Southend-on-Sea?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £328,383.
What is the average salary in Southend-on-Sea?
£810.20 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
Who has power over Southend-on-Sea
Every body that makes decisions for Southend-on-Sea, 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
- Southend-on-Sea council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Southend-on-Sea 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
- Southend East and Rochford: Mr Bayo Alaba (Independent) MP
- Southend West and Leigh: David Burton-Sampson (Labour) 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: 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 East of England
- UK figures: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK population · UK unemployment rate
- Other council areas in the East of England: Basildon · Chelmsford · Huntingdonshire · South Cambridgeshire · Thurrock · West Suffolk
Related questions
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.