Town Pop. 19,759

Living in Harwich: Liveability Score 46/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Harwich is 46/100, built from 9 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is transport: 55/100 against a national town median of 21/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is safety: 44/100 versus a median of 88/100.

No other settlement in the CO12 postcode district scores higher. Harwich leads all 3. Below 30/100: healthcare (26) and economic health (29). That puts Harwich in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see CO12 postcode district.

46
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Harwich scores 46 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Harwich.
Or compare:
CO12 3AA CO12 4AA CO12 5AA CO12 9AB CO12

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
44
105.9 crimes per 1,000 residents · last 12 months Above the England & Wales average of 94.3
Crime rate vs national average · last 12 months
Violence and sexual offences 1,013 crimes
↑ 54% above national average
Criminal damage and arson 213 crimes
↑ 59% above national average
Anti-social behaviour 197 crimes
↓ 34% below national average
Shoplifting 172 crimes
↑ 12% above national average
Public order 166 crimes
↑ 29% above national average
other 332 crimes
Highest-crime locations
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  1. 1 Mill Close 109 crimes
  2. 2 Supermarket 100 crimes
  3. 3 Shopping Area 90 crimes

Source: data.police.uk · England & Wales only

Environment
55
Air Quality NO₂ 8.5 · PM2.5 6.9 · PM10 11.2 µg/m³
71
Green Space 19
Parks Ample 7
Sports Pitches Ample 9
Allotments Ample 7
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 4
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 14

Services

Schools
50
8 schools in area
7Good1Requires Improvement
  • All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, DovercourtPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Chase Lane Primary School and NurseryPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Harwich Community Primary School and NurseryPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Harwich and Dovercourt High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2021
    Good
  • Spring Meadow Primary School & NurseryPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • The Mayflower Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • St Michael's CofE Primary Academy, RamseyPrimary · inspected 2023
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
26
A&E departmentsIpswich Hospital8.4 mi
Colchester General Hospital13.6 mi
Broomfield Hospital33.7 mi
Hospital waitsEast Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust0.4 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks60.2%
A&E seen within 4 hrs76.7%
1 GP surgery in area best 'Good'
GP capacity3,018 patients per GP
3dentists4pharmacies

Score reflects proximity to CQC-rated GP surgeries and hospitals, not facility count. Dentists and pharmacies are shown for context but don't affect the score.

Broadband
50
Full fibre (FTTP)77.2%
available across Tendring
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
80.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
80.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.3%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 488 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
29
Employment rate50.8%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed50.8%Unemployed3.5%Retired28.9%Student3.3%Other inactive13.5%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial28%Skilled & technical34.3%Routine & elementary37.7%
Highest qualification (16+)
No qualifications24.1%Level 1 (1–4 GCSEs)14.3%Level 2 (5+ GCSEs)17%Level 3 (A levels)16.5%Level 4+ (degree & above)18.1%Apprenticeship6.7%Other (incl. vocational)3.3%
Home ownership64.8%
Among the most-deprived 24% of areas in England
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
61
Council tax Tendring · 2026-27
A £1,513
B £1,766
C £2,018
D £2,270
E £2,774
F £3,279
G £3,783
H £4,540
Energy Eastern England region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water Anglian Water
Average bill regional £498/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
55
Harwich International 1.1 mi
Dovercourt 1.1 mi
Harwich Town 1.5 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
49
Pubs & Bars Ample 13
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 23
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 17
Retail Shopping Ample 116
Takeaways Ample 21
Fitness Ample 11

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House Prices

Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only

Type Median price Sales
All dwellings £240,000 123
Detached £335,000 35
Semi-detached £235,000 38
Terraced £200,000 41
5-year monthly trend
All Detached Semi Terraced Flat
£88k £187k £288k £387k 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)

Nearby places

Parkeston 46 0.9 mi away ⇄
Shotley Gate 44 1.9 mi away ⇄
Shotley 43 2.6 mi away ⇄
Great Oakley 42 3.5 mi away ⇄
Felixstowe 61 3.9 mi away ⇄
Trimley St Mary 57 4.3 mi away ⇄
Chelmondiston 39 4.6 mi away ⇄
Trimley St Martin 49 4.7 mi away ⇄
Wix 42 5.0 mi away ⇄
Holbrook (Babergh) 42 5.5 mi away ⇄
Walton-on-the-Naze 45 5.6 mi away ⇄
Woolverstone 38 5.6 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Harwich a nice place to live?

Harwich has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Harwich is 46/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

How safe is Harwich?

Harwich has above-average crime levels. Our safety score is 44/100. There were 2,093 crimes recorded in the area over the past 12 months.

What are the best schools in Harwich?

Among the top-rated schools in Harwich are All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dovercourt, Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery and Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 8 rated schools in Harwich in total.

What are house prices like in Harwich?

The current median house price in Harwich is £240,000, around 16% below the England and Wales average. By property type: detached £335,000, semi-detached £235,000, terraced £200,000. Over the past five years, prices have risen by around 6%. There were 123 sales recorded in the past 12 months.

Harwich in context

See the best places to live in Essex, ranked

Postcode districts in Harwich

CO12 45 ⇄

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