Poverty and living standards in Heerlen-Kerkrade, Netherlands: official figures
The average WOZ value of a home in the municipality of Heerlen, the official valuation used for property tax, was €238,000 in 2026, below the national figure of €439,000, up 59% from €150,000 in 2020; that is the lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
How many people are on benefits in Heerlen?
In 2026 the municipality of Heerlen had 23.6 benefit recipients under pension age for every 100 residents aged 15 to 64, the highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 12.4).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people receive bijstand in Heerlen?
The municipality of Heerlen had 7.1 people on social assistance (bijstand) per 100 working-age residents in 2026, above the national figure of 3.5; that ranks 2nd highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, down from 7.7 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people get unemployment benefit in Heerlen?
Unemployment insurance (WW) was paid to 2.31 people per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in the municipality of Heerlen in 2026, against 1.60 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people are on disability benefit in Heerlen?
The municipality of Heerlen had 14.2 disability benefit recipients per 100 working-age residents in 2026, above the national figure of 7.1.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many people live alone in Heerlen?
People living alone made up 47.7% of households in the municipality of Heerlen in 2025, above the national figure of 40.1%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many new homes are built in Heerlen?
House building in the municipality of Heerlen reached 1.4 new homes per 1,000 in the stock in 2025, below the national figure of 8.4.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the crime rate in Heerlen?
The municipality of Heerlen had 66.9 police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025 (5,850 in total, provisional), 7th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and above the national figure of 45.2.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyIs crime going up in Heerlen?
Recorded crime in the municipality of Heerlen was down 19% in 2025 compared with 2015, when police registered 7,215 offences.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much violent crime is there in Heerlen?
Violent and sexual offences, including assault, threats and sexual crimes, ran at 8.3 per 1,000 residents in the municipality of Heerlen in 2025, 3rd highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 4.6).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow common is burglary in Heerlen?
Theft and burglary without violence accounted for 22.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents of the municipality of Heerlen in 2025.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow Heerlen-Kerkrade compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) (2026)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 31 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average WOZ (tax) value of homes (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Groningen | €346,000 |
| 26 | Maastricht | €346,000 |
| 27 | Nissewaard | €339,000 |
| 28 | Enschede | €332,000 |
| 29 | Sittard-Geleen | €299,000 |
| 30 | Leeuwarden | €282,000 |
| 31 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €238,000 |
Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 1 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Benefit recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 23.6 |
| 2 | Sittard-Geleen | 19.1 |
| 3 | Enschede | 16.8 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 16.1 |
| 5 | Rotterdam | 15.2 |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 14.9 |
| 7 | Deventer | 14.4 |
Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2026)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 2 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Social assistance (bijstand) recipients below pension age per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 7.2 |
| 2 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 7.1 |
| 3 | Leeuwarden | 6.4 |
| 4 | Arnhem | 6.1 |
| 5 | Enschede | 5.7 |
| 6 | s-Gravenhage | 5.6 |
| 7 | Nijmegen | 5.5 |
Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) (2025)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 5 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of homes owned by housing associations (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Amsterdam | 39% |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 38% |
| 4 | Eindhoven | 36% |
| 5 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 36% |
| 6 | Enschede | 36% |
| 7 | Zaanstad | 36% |
| 8 | Nissewaard | 36% |
New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes (2025)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 31 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | New-build homes per 1,000 existing homes |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Amersfoort | 4.6 |
| 26 | Leeuwarden | 3.5 |
| 27 | Arnhem | 3.4 |
| 28 | Haarlem | 3.0 |
| 29 | Sittard-Geleen | 2.8 |
| 30 | s-Gravenhage | 1.8 |
| 31 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 1.4 |
Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 7 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Utrecht | 74.4 |
| 5 | s-Gravenhage | 70.1 |
| 6 | Arnhem | 67.6 |
| 7 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 66.9 |
| 8 | Enschede | 65.0 |
| 9 | Nijmegen | 64.0 |
| 10 | Breda | 61.6 |
Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) (2025)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 3 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Recorded violent and sexual crimes per 1,000 residents (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotterdam | 9.7 |
| 2 | Amsterdam | 8.6 |
| 3 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 8.3 |
| 4 | s-Gravenhage | 7.7 |
| 5 | Eindhoven | 6.9 |
| 6 | Arnhem | 6.7 |
| 7 | Tilburg | 6.5 |
Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) (2025)
Heerlen-Kerkrade ranks 2 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Share of recorded crimes solved (%) (provisional) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoetermeer | 30.5% |
| 2 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 29.7% |
| 3 | Nissewaard | 28.7% |
| 4 | Zwolle | 27.0% |
| 5 | Arnhem | 26.0% |
| 6 | Leeuwarden | 25.8% |
| 7 | s-Gravenhage | 25.4% |
More on Heerlen-Kerkrade: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Geregistreerde misdrijven en verdachten; soort misdrijf, regio (table 83648NED): police-recorded crime by province and municipality, 2015-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 301a92d5d72f…)
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.