Kent in six numbers: crime, prices, broadband and air, council by council (2026)
The same official figures for every Kent district, side by side
Across Kent's 12 districts, Sevenoaks has the lowest recorded crime rate (52.6 offences per 1,000) and Thanet the highest (103.4); average prices run from £269,708 in Thanet to £538,714 in Sevenoaks; gigabit broadband coverage sits between 75% and 85.5%; the East Kent coast has the cleanest air (PM2.5 around 6.5–6.7 µg/m³) but higher deprivation, with Thanet ranked 26th most deprived in England.
In this post
Kent is one county on the map and several different places on the ground. This post puts the same six official measures side by side for Kent's 12 district council areas, so you can see how they compare before you narrow a search. Medway is a separate unitary authority and is not in these tables.
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). Seven Kent areas are ranked; Dartford, Gravesham, Maidstone, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells are left out this year because their official figures are affected by a police recording problem.
| Area | Per 1,000 | Rank in England & Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Sevenoaks | 52.6 | 47th |
| Ashford | 65.3 | 105th |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 74.5 | 147th |
| Dover | 76.4 | 156th |
| Canterbury | 79.7 | 165th |
| Swale | 85.5 | 187th |
| Thanet | 103.4 | 236th |
Rates are per resident, so town centres with lots of visitors and workers 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:
- Thanet £269,708 · Dover £277,750 · Swale £298,985 · Folkestone and Hythe £303,296
- Canterbury £337,454 · Gravesham £344,923 · Ashford £347,562 · Dartford £347,773 · Maidstone £352,722
- Tonbridge and Malling £407,880 · Tunbridge Wells £456,227 · Sevenoaks £538,714
The gap between the cheapest and dearest area is about £269,000: an average Sevenoaks home costs roughly twice an average Thanet 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, July 2026. Most of Kent rose slightly; two areas fell.
- Rising fastest: Gravesham +3.3%, Swale +3.2%, Canterbury +2.9%, Dover +2.7%
- Middle: Thanet +1.8%, Ashford +1.4%, Tonbridge and Malling +1.4%, Sevenoaks +1.0%, Folkestone and Hythe +0.9%, Tunbridge Wells +0.6%
- Falling: Maidstone -0.1%, Dartford -2.0%
Gigabit broadband
Share of premises that can get a gigabit-capable connection (Ofcom Connected Nations, January 2026). Kent sits in a narrow band, from Tonbridge and Malling at 85.5% down to Canterbury at 75.0%. Dartford (84.0%) and Gravesham (83.1%) follow the leader; Sevenoaks (76.2%) and Ashford (76.0%) sit just above Canterbury. 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 data, 2024). Lower is cleaner. The coast comes out cleanest: Folkestone and Hythe 6.5, Dover 6.6, Thanet 6.7 and Canterbury 6.7. The areas nearest London read highest: Gravesham 7.7 and Dartford 8.1. Every Kent 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. Tonbridge and Malling (233), Tunbridge Wells (219) and Sevenoaks (210) are Kent's least deprived. Thanet (26), Swale (62) and Folkestone and Hythe (79) are the most deprived in the county.
What the six numbers say together
West Kent, closest to London, has the highest prices, the lowest deprivation and the fastest broadband, but also the most fine particles in the air. East Kent's coast has the lowest prices and the cleanest air, alongside higher deprivation and, in Thanet, the county's highest recorded crime rate among the areas ranked. 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 Kent area sits across England and Wales. Across the Thames, see Essex in six numbers. 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Which Kent council area has the lowest recorded crime?
Of the seven Kent areas ranked this year, Sevenoaks has the lowest recorded crime at 52.6 offences per 1,000 residents (ONS / Home Office, year ending March 2026). Five areas are not ranked this year because of a police recording problem with their figures.
Where are average house prices lowest in Kent?
Thanet, at an average of £269,708 in HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index for July 2026, followed by Dover (£277,750) and Swale (£298,985).
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.