Hertfordshire in six numbers: crime, prices, broadband and air, council by council (2026)
The same official figures for every Hertfordshire council area, side by side
Across Hertfordshire's ten districts, recorded crime runs from 49.5 offences per 1,000 residents (North Hertfordshire) to 93.8 (Stevenage), and average prices from £316,210 in Stevenage to £646,781 in St Albans. Gigabit coverage spans 84% (East Hertfordshire) to 95% (Watford), background PM2.5 sits between 7.2 and 7.8 µg/m³, and every district is in England's less deprived half.
In this post
Hertfordshire's ten council areas can look very different on paper. This post sets the same six official measures side by side for each of them, so you can see how they compare before you narrow a search.
Every figure comes from Jackson's league tables, which are built from official open data. Each one describes a whole council area, not a street.
Recorded crime
Offences per 1,000 residents a year (ONS / Home Office police recorded crime, year ending March 2026). All ten Hertfordshire areas are ranked.
| Area | Per 1,000 | Rank in England & Wales |
|---|---|---|
| North Hertfordshire | 49.5 | 34th |
| East Hertfordshire | 51.7 | 40th |
| Three Rivers | 52.4 | 45th |
| St Albans | 64.2 | 102nd |
| Dacorum | 65.9 | 107th |
| Hertsmere | 71.9 | 135th |
| Broxbourne | 72.7 | 139th |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 77.7 | 160th |
| Watford | 86.7 | 190th |
| Stevenage | 93.8 | 215th |
Three Hertfordshire areas sit in the lowest-crime 60 of England and Wales. Rates are per resident, so town centres with lots of visitors and workers can read higher than the risk to someone living there. Our guide on checking crime rates explains how to read the numbers for a single street.
Average house price
HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, July 2026. Cheapest to dearest:
- Stevenage £316,210 · Watford £404,299 · Broxbourne £411,689 · North Hertfordshire £418,857
- Welwyn Hatfield £448,681 · East Hertfordshire £457,417 · Dacorum £459,235 · Hertsmere £548,704
- Three Rivers £590,816 · St Albans £646,781
The gap between the cheapest and dearest area is about £331,000: an average St Albans home costs roughly twice an average Stevenage one. A low average can reflect the mix of homes and demand, so it is a starting point for a search, not a verdict on a place.
Price change over 12 months
Same source. Nine of ten Hertfordshire areas rose; one fell.
- Rising: North Hertfordshire +5.3%, East Hertfordshire +3.7%, Dacorum +3.0%, Welwyn Hatfield +3.0%, Broxbourne +2.5%, Three Rivers +2.3%, St Albans +2.3%, Stevenage +1.8%, Hertsmere +1.3%
- Falling: Watford -0.7%
Gigabit broadband
Share of premises that can get a gigabit-capable connection (Ofcom Connected Nations, January 2026). Watford leads at 95.0%, with St Albans (93.5%) and Stevenage (92.6%) next. East Hertfordshire is lowest at 84.0%. Coverage can differ street by street, so check the postcode itself.
Air quality (fine particles, PM2.5)
Population-weighted background PM2.5 in µg/m³ (Defra modelled background PM2.5, 2024). Lower is cleaner. Cleanest: East Hertfordshire 7.2, North Hertfordshire 7.2, Stevenage 7.2. Highest: Watford 7.8, Hertsmere 7.8. Every Hertfordshire area is above the World Health Organization's guideline of 5 µg/m³, as most of England is.
Deprivation
English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG), ranked out of 296 English council areas, where 1 is the most deprived. Least deprived in Hertfordshire: St Albans (289), East Hertfordshire (277), Three Rivers (273). Most deprived: Stevenage (151), Broxbourne (162), Watford (181). Even the most deprived Hertfordshire area is in the less deprived half of England.
What the six numbers say together
Stevenage has Hertfordshire's highest recorded crime rate, lowest average price and most deprivation. North Hertfordshire has Hertfordshire's lowest recorded crime and fastest-rising prices. St Albans has Hertfordshire's highest average price and least deprivation. Watford has Hertfordshire's only price fall and best gigabit coverage. No single measure makes a place right or wrong for you; they tell you what to look at next.
Check a street, not just a district
District figures hide a lot of variation. The free Jackson check reads one postcode for flood risk, recorded crime, noise and the nearest station, and the full league tables for crime, prices, price change, broadband, air and deprivation show where each Hertfordshire area sits across England and Wales. More counties, same six numbers, on the blog. How Jackson scores an area explains the sources.
Data, not advice. Figures are official open data under the Open Government Licence (Ofcom data under Ofcom terms), for England & Wales, with the period shown for each.
Short on time? Let us run the checks for you
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Frequently asked questions
Which Hertfordshire council area has the lowest recorded crime?
North Hertfordshire, at 49.5 offences per 1,000 residents a year (ONS / Home Office police recorded crime, year ending March 2026), 34th lowest in England and Wales.
Where are average house prices lowest in Hertfordshire?
Stevenage, at an average of £316,210 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, July 2026), followed by Watford (£404,299) and Broxbourne (£411,689).
Where did Hertfordshire house prices change most in the last year?
North Hertfordshire rose most, +5.3%; Watford fell most, -0.7% (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, 12 months to July 2026).
Are these figures for my street?
No. They describe a whole council area. A free Jackson check reads one postcode for flood, crime, noise and the nearest station.