Hertfordshire demographics.
Hertfordshire · Census 2023 · latest available data
A data-driven statistical profile of Hertfordshire — town populations, census figures, and key demographic indicators drawn from the latest available official data.
Population
67,736,802
World share: 0.84 %
Median age
40.1
Global rank: #21
Urban population
85.5 %
57,900,076 people
Density
280 / km²
People per km²
Fertility rate
1.57
Births per woman
- 01 / Population
Who lives here, and how that is changing.
Headline population counts, density and household structure, with the six-year growth trend.
- Population basics
- Total population
- 67,736,8022023
- Population density
- 280 / km²UK average
- Yearly change
- 0.34 %227,866
- Urban population
- 85.5 %57,900,076
- Net migration
- 165,790Annual net
- World population
- 0.84 %8,045,311,447
- Population trend
Total resident population in thousands. A rising line means net growth from births and inward migration.
- 02 / Age & gender
The shape of the population pyramid.
Age band distribution split by gender, with dependency and vital statistics.
- Age pyramid
Share of the total population in each age band, split by gender - wide middle bands indicate a strong working-age base.
- Vital statistics
- Median age
- 39.4 yrs40.2 yrs
- Dependency ratio
- 58.456.9
- Male
- 49.3%49.0%
- Female
- 50.7%51.0%
- Aged 65+
- 16.4%18.4%
- 03 / Housing & households
Tenure, dwelling type and household composition.
Census 2021 housing indicators for the area, benchmarked against England.
- Tenure & conditions
- Home ownership
- 61.0%62.5%
- Social rented
- 17.0%17.1%
- Private rented
- 22.0%20.4%
- Overcrowded households
- 6.1%8.4%
- No central heating
- 1.3%1.5%
- Property type mix
Composition of the housing stock by build type, as a share of all dwellings.
- Tenure split
How households occupy their homes - the owned versus rented balance drives local market liquidity.
- 04 / Employment & economy
Where the jobs and the output are.
Labour market headlines and the sector composition of local employment.
- Labour market
- Economically active
- 76.2%75.7%
- Unemployed
- 3.4%3.5%
- Full-time employees
- 42.1%41.6%
- Self-employed
- 11.8%12.4%
- Students (economically active)
- 5.6%5.2%
- Retired
- 20.9%21.6%
- Top employment sectors
Share of total employment by industry - a concentrated profile signals exposure to one sector's cycle.
- 05 / Education & qualifications
Attainment and the local skills base.
School performance and the qualification profile of working-age residents.
- Attainment & schools
- Level 4+ qualification
- 40.2%33.9%
- No qualifications
- 16.0%18.1%
- Apprenticeship
- 5.1%5.3%
- Full-time students 16+
- 8.4%7.9%
- Schoolchildren aged 5–15
- 12.6%12.4%
- Qualification levels
Highest qualification held by residents aged 16+. Level 4+ covers degree-level and above.
- 06 / Health & wellbeing
Life expectancy, access and deprivation.
Population health outcomes alongside primary care capacity and deprivation ranking.
- Health indicators
- Very good health
- 48.6%48.5%
- Good health
- 33.1%33.7%
- Bad or very bad health
- 5.8%5.2%
- Disabled (day-to-day limited)
- 18.2%17.3%
- Provides unpaid care
- 9.1%8.9%
- Life expectancy (male)
- 79.1 yrs79.4 yrs
- Life expectancy (female)
- 82.9 yrs83.1 yrs
- Healthy life expectancy
- 62.4 yrs63.1 yrs
- IMD decile
- 5 of 10-
- Deprivation
5
IMD decile out of 10 (1 = most deprived). The United Kingdom shows variation across regions, with pockets of both high affluence and concentrated deprivation.
- 07 / Ethnicity, language & religion
The cultural make-up of the area.
Census-based breakdowns of ethnic group, country of birth, language and religion.
- Ethnic group
Share of residents by broad census ethnic group.
- Religion
Stated religion at the last census, as a share of residents.
- Origin & language
- Born in the UK
- 83.6%83.2%
- Born outside the UK
- 16.4%16.8%
- English as main language
- 94.2%91.1%
- Cannot speak English well
- 1.4%1.9%
- 08 / Transport & commuting
How people move around.
Commuting modes, journey times, car ownership and network connectivity.
- Mode of travel to work
Primary commute mode for working residents, including those who mainly work from home.
- Network & journey times
- Average commute
- 29 min28 min
- No car or van
- 24.0%23.5%
- 2+ cars or vans
- 34.0%33.1%
- Work mainly from home
- 17.0%21.0%
- Car ownership
Households by number of cars or vans available.
— 09 / Political & administrative
Who governs, and how engaged residents are.
Administrative structure, council tax levels, political control and turnout.
— Governance
- Parliamentary constituencies
- 12
- Council type
- Metropolitan / two-tier
- Council tax (Band D)
- £2,148
- Political control
- Labour majority
- General election turnout
- 62.4%
- Local election turnout
- 31.8%
— 10 / Crime & safety
Recorded crime and its composition.
Police.uk recorded offences, normalised per 1,000 residents and split by offence type.
— Headline rates
- Crime rate per 1,000
- 94.689.7
- Police force
- West Yorkshire Police—
- Year-on-year change
- -2.8%-1.4%
— Crime type breakdown
Share of all recorded offences by category over the last 12 months.
— 11 / Environment & climate
Green space, air quality and climate risk.
Environmental quality indicators and exposure to flooding across the area.
— Environmental indicators
- Green space coverage
- 38.4%40.1%
- NO₂ (annual mean)
- 21 µg/m³18 µg/m³
- PM2.5 (annual mean)
- 9.4 µg/m³9.1 µg/m³
- Area at flood risk
- 6.2%8.0%
- Annual rainfall
- 812 mm838 mm
- Sunshine hours
- 1,4101,493
— 12 / UK Cities
Population of major UK cities.
Top 10 UK cities by population, sourced from the latest available census and administrative data.
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 7,556,900 |
| 2 | Birmingham | 984,333 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 864,122 |
| 4 | Nottingham | 729,977 |
| 5 | Sheffield | 685,368 |
| 6 | Bristol | 617,280 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 591,620 |
| 8 | Leicester | 508,916 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 464,990 |
| 10 | Leeds | 455,123 |
— 12b / County Towns
Town populations within the county.
Built-up area populations across the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census years.
| # | Town | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watford | 103,675 | 115,898 | 131,326 |
| 2 | Hemel Hempstead | 83,037 | 87,804 | 95,961 |
| 3 | Stevenage | 80,431 | 88,915 | 94,456 |
| 4 | St Albans | 64,240 | 70,920 | 75,537 |
| 5 | Welwyn Garden City | 44,944 | 48,330 | 51,524 |
| 6 | Cheshunt | 40,046 | 41,638 | 43,680 |
| 7 | Hatfield | 28,516 | 37,713 | 41,555 |
| 8 | Bishop's Stortford | 35,199 | 37,492 | 40,909 |
| 9 | Hoddesdon | 35,278 | 38,920 | 40,630 |
| 10 | Borehamwood | 31,824 | 35,489 | 39,765 |
| 11 | Hitchin | 30,850 | 33,601 | 35,224 |
| 12 | Letchworth | 32,630 | 32,923 | 33,986 |
| 13 | Harpenden | 28,030 | 29,835 | 30,966 |
| 14 | Hertford | 24,359 | 26,129 | 28,802 |
| 15 | Bushey | 24,283 | 25,328 | 28,418 |
| 16 | Rickmansworth | 23,998 | 24,783 | 26,291 |
| 17 | Potters Bar | 21,659 | 22,654 | 23,398 |
| 18 | Berkhamsted | 18,793 | 20,431 | 21,245 |
| 19 | Ware | 17,193 | 18,799 | 19,622 |
| 20 | Abbots Langley (/ Kings Langley) | 16,381 | 17,899 | 18,204 |
| 21 | Royston | 14,571 | 15,781 | 17,448 |
| 22 | Chorleywood | 11,603 | 12,138 | 12,625 |
| 23 | Tring | 11,537 | 11,630 | 11,961 |
| 24 | Waltham Cross | 9,335 | 10,453 | 11,947 |
| 25 | Baldock | 9,866 | 10,280 | 10,614 |
| 26 | Sawbridgeworth | 9,528 | 10,063 | 10,479 |
| 27 | Radlett | 8,134 | 8,163 | 8,190 |
| 28 | London Colney | 6,838 | 7,709 | 7,932 |
| 29 | Buntingford | 4,916 | 5,052 | 7,879 |
| 30 | Chiswell Green | 6,311 | 6,452 | 6,689 |
| 31 | Moor Park | 5,451 | 5,532 | 5,846 |
| 32 | Bovingdon | 4,884 | 4,997 | 5,316 |
| 33 | Redbourn | 4,680 | 5,113 | 5,190 |
| 34 | Bricket Wood | 4,081 | 4,211 | 4,627 |
| 35 | Wheathampstead | 3,997 | 4,326 | 4,527 |
| 36 | Cuffley | 4,020 | 3,973 | 4,350 |
| 37 | Knebworth | 4,077 | 4,155 | 4,192 |
| 38 | Brookmans Park | 3,982 | 3,884 | 4,033 |
| 39 | Oaklands | 3,534 | 3,756 | 3,968 |
| 40 | Welwyn | 3,221 | 3,345 | 3,907 |
| 41 | Puckeridge (/ Standon) | 3,354 | 3,561 | 3,863 |
| 42 | Stanstead Abbotts | 3,434 | 3,872 | 3,752 |
| 43 | Shenley | 3,648 | 3,619 | 3,558 |
| 44 | Goff's Oak | 3,358 | 3,503 | 3,505 |
| 45 | Markyate | 2,764 | 2,912 | 3,175 |
| 46 | Welham Green | 2,726 | 2,806 | 2,968 |
| 47 | Hertford Heath | 2,550 | 2,672 | 2,830 |
| 48 | Codicote | 2,560 | 2,593 | 2,684 |
| 49 | Watton-at-Stone | 2,272 | 2,338 | 2,614 |
| 50 | Maple Cross | 2,228 | 2,427 | 2,583 |
| 51 | Park Street (/ Frogmore) | 1,844 | 2,292 | 2,256 |
| 52 | Ashwell | 1,660 | 1,870 | 1,980 |
| 53 | Ickleford | 1,848 | 1,833 | 1,936 |
| 54 | Elstree | 1,538 | 1,717 | 1,740 |
| 55 | Chipperfield | 1,667 | 1,622 | 1,680 |
| 56 | Kimpton | 1,446 | 1,436 | 1,548 |
| 57 | Sandridge | 1,353 | 1,375 | 1,459 |
| 58 | Pirton | 1,217 | 1,274 | 1,452 |
| 59 | Woolmer Green | 1,305 | 1,362 | 1,408 |
| 60 | Walkern | 1,178 | 1,356 | 1,367 |
| 61 | Potten End | 1,237 | 1,248 | 1,273 |
| 62 | Hadham Cross | 1,100 | 1,207 | 1,272 |
| 63 | Datchworth | 1,187 | 1,210 | 1,177 |
| 64 | Colney Heath | 1,009 | 993 | 1,060 |
| 65 | Flamstead | 1,058 | 990 | 1,057 |
| 66 | Whitwell | 886 | 965 | 1,019 |
| 67 | Great Amwell | 1,046 | 1,098 | 1,019 |
| 68 | Little Wymondley | 948 | 995 | 1,003 |
| 69 | Hunsdon | 929 | 901 | 990 |
| 70 | Braughing | 845 | 854 | 966 |
| 71 | Tewin | 795 | 864 | 949 |
| 72 | Great Offley | 673 | 748 | 922 |
| 73 | Weston | 807 | 897 | 879 |
| 74 | High Cross | 652 | 702 | 853 |
| 75 | Barkway | 656 | 775 | 847 |
| 76 | Blackmore End | 832 | 846 | 839 |
| 77 | Wigginton | 763 | 804 | 813 |
| 78 | Thundridge | 669 | 704 | 720 |
| 79 | South Mimms | 723 | 697 | 709 |
| 80 | Breachwood Green | 659 | 693 | 704 |
| 81 | Barley | 659 | 662 | 702 |
| 82 | Bedmond | 703 | 649 | 677 |
| 83 | Lea Valley | 592 | 611 | 672 |
| 84 | Essendon | 581 | 580 | 663 |
| 85 | Widford | 507 | 534 | 656 |
| 86 | Sarratt | 646 | 624 | 654 |
| 87 | Northaw | 601 | 590 | 634 |
| 88 | Rucklers Lane | 580 | 563 | 632 |
| 89 | Little Gaddesden | 587 | 627 | 631 |
| 90 | Benington | 589 | 608 | 625 |
| 91 | Gosmore | 653 | 665 | 618 |
| 92 | Dane End | 611 | 593 | 600 |
| 93 | Aldbury | 686 | 642 | 599 |
| 94 | Aston | 563 | 569 | 531 |
— 13 / English Regions
Regional population comparison.
Population figures for English regions across the 2001, 2011 and 2021 census years.
| Region | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 4,172,174 | 4,533,222 | 4,880,054 |
| East of England | 5,388,140 | 5,846,965 | 6,335,074 |
| North East England | 2,515,442 | 2,596,886 | 2,647,013 |
| North West England | 6,729,764 | 7,052,177 | 7,417,397 |
| South East England | 8,000,645 | 8,634,750 | 9,278,065 |
| South West England | 4,928,434 | 5,288,935 | 5,701,186 |
| West Midlands | 5,267,308 | 5,601,847 | 5,950,757 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4,964,833 | 5,283,733 | 5,480,777 |
— Data sources
- ONS — population, age, ethnicity, housing
- Nomis — employment, earnings, qualifications
- Census 2021 (Nomis) — area vs England comparisons
- Police.uk — crime data
- MHCLG — Index of Multiple Deprivation
- Postcodes.io / GeoNames — boundary mapping