Waltham Forest: local statistics
Waltham Forest is a London borough in London, home to an estimated 283,713 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 Waltham Forest, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
For 2026-27 the average Band D council tax bill in Waltham Forest is £2,386.96, 4.8% more than in 2025-26. It is 6th of 33 in London, counting from the highest. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,474.18, so it has risen 62%.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 79.7% of Waltham Forest residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026 (give or take 4.4 points); the figure for London was 74.8%. Its lowest reading in the series was 69.6% and its highest 79.7%.
6.5% of Waltham Forest residents aged 16 to 64 (12,595 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026, compared with 5.5% in London. Twelve months before, it was 6.7%. Over the last five years it peaked at 8.1% in August 2021 and was lowest at 5.2% in July 2022.
The ONS counted 13,380 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Waltham Forest in March 2026, 22% more than in 2016. There are 47 per 1,000 residents, the 25th highest of 33 in London.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Waltham Forest had a life expectancy at birth of 84.0 years; for men it was 79.8 (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.5 years for women and +0.7 for men. It is 22nd of 32 in London, counting from the highest for women.
Police recorded 22,436 crimes in Waltham Forest in the year to March 2026, 79.1 for every 1,000 residents, 22nd of 33 in London, counting from the highest rate. That compares with 86.7 per 1,000 the year before. The highest rate in the series was 86.7, in the year to March 2025. Fraud is not included.
HM Land Registry puts the average price of a home in Waltham Forest at £529,102 for July 2026, up 2.8% on July 2025. That is mid-table in London, 18th of 33 (regional average £550,037). Prices are 24% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. The average price is 11.7 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Waltham Forest. That ratio is mid-table in London, 17th of 32.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in Waltham Forest took home £900.80 a week before tax, or £45,350 over a year. That is 0.2% below the figure for London and mid-table in London, 18th of 32. Jobs based in Waltham Forest paid a median £797.60 a week, £103.20 less than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £546.90, so it has risen 65% before inflation.
The ONS estimates that 283,713 people lived in Waltham Forest in mid-2025, a change of -0.0% in a year. That is 9,134 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 3.3% (London: +5.4%), mid-table in London, 18th of 33. The series peaked at 283,782 in mid-2024.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 274,579 |
| 2016 | 277,081 |
| 2017 | 278,105 |
| 2018 | 279,795 |
| 2019 | 281,015 |
| 2020 | 279,527 |
| 2021 | 278,147 |
| 2022 | 278,274 |
| 2023 | 281,983 |
| 2024 | 283,782 |
| 2025 | 283,713 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £427,281 |
| July 2017 | £449,987 |
| July 2018 | £459,347 |
| July 2019 | £432,351 |
| July 2020 | £459,940 |
| July 2021 | £475,336 |
| July 2022 | £508,719 |
| July 2023 | £493,468 |
| July 2024 | £486,488 |
| July 2025 | £514,735 |
| July 2026 | £529,102 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £546.90 a week |
| 2016 | £577.10 a week |
| 2017 | £574.90 a week |
| 2018 | £622.90 a week |
| 2019 | £680.30 a week |
| 2020 | £716.20 a week |
| 2021 | £729.40 a week |
| 2022 | £757.00 a week |
| 2023 | £774.10 a week |
| 2024 | £839.70 a week |
| 2025 | £900.80 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,474.18 |
| 2017-18 | £1,537.99 |
| 2018-19 | £1,614.97 |
| 2019-20 | £1,693.95 |
| 2020-21 | £1,760.31 |
| 2021-22 | £1,863.17 |
| 2022-23 | £1,939.94 |
| 2023-24 | £2,055.55 |
| 2024-25 | £2,173.72 |
| 2025-26 | £2,277.65 |
| 2026-27 | £2,386.96 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 79.4 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 78.4 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 81.7 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 85.7 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 86.1 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 81.0 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 82.2 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 82.0 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 83.2 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 86.7 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 79.1 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 72.4% |
| 2016/17 | 75.5% |
| 2017/18 | 78.5% |
| 2018/19 | 78.7% |
| 2019/20 | 73.9% |
| 2020/21 | 70.5% |
| 2021/22 | 73.6% |
| 2022/23 | 69.6% |
| 2023/24 | 77.1% |
| 2024/25 | 78.7% |
| 2025/26 | 79.7% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.5 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.5 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.6 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.7 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.9 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 84.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 83.7 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 83.4 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 83.0 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.5 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 84.0 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 11,005 |
| 2017 | 11,885 |
| 2018 | 11,775 |
| 2019 | 12,515 |
| 2020 | 12,945 |
| 2021 | 13,200 |
| 2022 | 13,275 |
| 2023 | 12,935 |
| 2024 | 13,025 |
| 2025 | 12,955 |
| 2026 | 13,380 |
Questions about Waltham Forest
How much is Band D council tax in Waltham Forest?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,386.96 for 2026-27.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Waltham Forest?
The ONS claimant count was 12,595 in August 2026, 6.5% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is life expectancy in Waltham Forest?
84.0 years for women and 79.8 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the crime rate in Waltham Forest?
79.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
What is the average house price in Waltham Forest?
£529,102 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+2.8% on a year).
What is the average salary in Waltham Forest?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Waltham Forest was £900.80 a week in April 2025 (£45,350 a year), from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is the population of Waltham Forest?
283,713 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
Who has power over Waltham Forest
Every body that makes decisions for Waltham Forest, 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
- Waltham Forest council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Waltham Forest in official figures this page
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Greater London Authority Greater London Authority
- Metropolitan Police Service police force
- Barts Health NHS Trust NHS
- NHS North East London Integrated Care Board NHS
- London in official figures
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
- Chingford and Woodford Green: Sir Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) MP
- Leyton and Wanstead: Mr Calvin Bailey (Labour) MP
- Walthamstow: Ms Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op)) 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: London
- UK figures: UK employment rate · UK unemployment rate · Life expectancy at birth (UK)
- Other council areas in London: Hackney · Haringey · Harrow · Havering · Hounslow · Lewisham
Related questions
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.