Is Chelmsford, Essex a nice place to live? View our area guide.

Photo above: Chelmsford: High Street and Shire Hall, Thursday, 21 June, 2018

Where is Chelmsford?

Chelmsford is in the county of Essex, in England. It sits in the constituency of Saffron Walden and its latitude and longitude is: 51.752962 0.391219.

Photo: Chelmsford: High Street and Shire Hall, Thursday, 21 June, 2018

Reviews of Chelmsford

There are currently no reviews for Chelmsford. Help the community of movers - leave a review of Chelmsford!

Map of schools, train stations, GPs, hospitals and shops near Chelmsford

Click icons on the map for more detail.

Want to view a wider range of schools? View in our school explorer map.

What is the property market like in Chelmsford?

The property market in Chelmsford has had a steep increase over the last few years and accelerating growth. Based on data published on 15 November 2023, on average a detached house costs £703,147, which is up 2.9% on last year. A semi-detached house on average costs £431,354 (up 2.3% on last year) , a terraced house £339,006 (up 1.6% on last year) and a flat £228,098. Renting a two bedroom flat will cost you approximately £938 per month.

Property prices in Chelmsford are similar to the average property prices across Essex and are a little higher compared to other locations with a similar density in England. When looking at the annual change in property prices in Chelmsford, prices have increased, while prices decreased across the Essex region.

Property data is based on Chelmsford level pricing data and is as at September 2023 (publicised 15 November 2023)

Detached and Semi-detached House Trend (£) to September 2023

Regarding the health of the Essex property market as a whole, here is how it compares to other counties in England:

County	Avg Detached Price	Annual Change	Avg Semi-Detached Price	Annual Change
Rutland	£557,774	+11.3%	£341,529	+11.7%
Northumberland	£333,743	+7.3%	£183,403	+6.1%
Lancashire	£326,887	+4.3%	£195,848	+3.4%
Leicestershire	£432,076	+3.9%	£262,308	+3.0%
Derbyshire	£340,545	+3.7%	£209,276	+2.9%
Oxfordshire	£706,629	+3.5%	£450,305	+3.5%
Merseyside	£340,051	+3.4%	£214,398	+2.4%
Gloucestershire	£536,963	+3.4%	£330,457	+3.4%
Nottinghamshire	£334,429	+2.8%	£206,257	+2.8%
Wiltshire	£521,688	+2.7%	£328,877	+3.0%
Greater Manchester	£396,806	+2.7%	£254,125	+2.3%
West Yorkshire	£351,673	+2.5%	£210,889	+2.0%
West Midlands	£407,684	+2.2%	£245,250	+2.4%
East Riding of Yorkshire	£326,098	+2.2%	£203,163	+2.1%
Staffordshire	£364,884	+2.1%	£221,783	+2.1%
Herefordshire	£434,518	+2.1%	£276,148	+2.2%
South Yorkshire	£284,409	+2.0%	£182,869	+1.9%
West Sussex	£686,980	+1.9%	£441,716	+2.3%
Kent	£619,795	+1.8%	£386,201	+1.4%
Shropshire	£404,408	+1.8%	£252,891	+1.8%
Warwickshire	£515,326	+1.8%	£299,238	+1.3%
Devon	£503,963	+1.6%	£337,624	+2.3%
North Yorkshire	£422,027	+1.5%	£265,231	+1.2%
Norfolk	£406,137	+1.4%	£267,820	+1.2%
North Northamptonshire	£426,370	+1.3%	£254,947	+1.2%
Buckinghamshire	£853,940	+1.2%	£460,891	+1.2%
West Northamptonshire	£478,844	+0.9%	£279,006	+0.7%
Hampshire	£628,455	+0.6%	£386,140	+1.0%
Lincolnshire	£307,354	+0.6%	£205,466	+1.4%
Worcestershire	£455,558	+0.6%	£276,201	+0.9%
Essex	£586,972	+0.4%	£379,804	0.0%
Somerset	£465,131	+0.3%	£296,160	+0.7%
Suffolk	£454,636	+0.2%	£283,920	+0.6%
East Sussex	£595,763	+0.1%	£385,074	+0.4%
Cambridgeshire	£486,349	0.0%	£330,028	+0.2%
Surrey	£957,680	-0.2%	£546,201	+0.7%
Isle of Wight	£435,441	-0.4%	£298,787	0.0%
Hertfordshire	£939,983	-0.7%	£542,021	-0.2%
Cornwall	£453,159	-1.1%	£300,170	-0.6%
Dorset	£528,863	-1.3%	£348,080	-0.8%

Recent property transactions in the area

Listed below are some recent property purchases in the area, to give you an idea of the market. Click on a postcode if you would like to see data on that specific area of Chelmsford, or click here to browse the longer list of Chelmsford property transactions from 2023.

Address	Details
EDWINS HALL, , Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 8RX	Detached - Sold for £2,705,000 on 08/02/2023
HYDE LODGE, Hyde Lane, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 4LJ	Detached - Sold for £2,700,000 on 02/28/2023
FAIRFIELD, Mounthill Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex , CM2 6DB	Detached - Sold for £1,645,000 on 01/30/2023
15, Woodland Way, Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 3FF	Detached - Sold for £1,600,000 on 06/08/2023
WILLOW RIDGE, Hall Lane, Chelmsford, Essex , CM2 8FN	Detached - Sold for £1,550,000 on 02/15/2023
BIBURY, Links Drive, Chelmsford, Essex , CM2 9AW	Detached - Sold for £1,500,000 on 05/16/2023
FOREST LODGE, New Lodge Chase, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 4AZ	Detached - Sold for £1,250,000 on 01/27/2023
272, Springfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex , CM2 6AS	Detached - Sold for £1,250,000 on 09/12/2023
THE BRAMBLES, Wickham Bishops Road, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 2JL	Detached - Sold for £1,250,000 on 04/28/2023
THORLEYS MALTINGS, Blasford Hill, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 3PF	Detached - Sold for £1,250,000 on 07/26/2023
PEARTREE, , Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 1BX	Detached - Sold for £1,250,000 on 01/06/2023
15, Taylor View, Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 6DG	Detached - Sold for £1,225,000 on 06/09/2023
SUMMER HOUSE, Woodside, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 4SR	Detached - Sold for £1,215,000 on 01/12/2023
DUMBARTON, East Hanningfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex , CM2 7TQ	Detached - Sold for £1,200,000 on 05/30/2023
6, Anjou Green, Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 6EE	Detached - Sold for £1,200,000 on 07/24/2023
TUDOR ROSE, Stump Lane, Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 7SJ	Detached - Sold for £1,180,000 on 07/04/2023
44, Roxwell Road, Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 2NB	Detached - Sold for £1,100,000 on 03/30/2023
TOAD HALL, Station Road, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 6HX	Detached - Sold for £1,100,000 on 08/04/2023
SHOP COTTAGE, , Chelmsford, Essex , CM1 4TF	Terraced - Sold for £1,100,000 on 07/14/2023
24, Station Crescent, Chelmsford, Essex , CM3 6HY	Detached - Sold for £1,085,000 on 03/17/2023

Which schools are near Chelmsford?

Chelmsford has one school nearby: Roxwell Church of England Primary School (Academy) which is a primary school based in The Street, Chelmsford.

Example schools in the area are listed below, with some information on their rating and access criteria.

School	Type	Latest Rating	Parent View Reviews (if available)	Ofsted Report (if available)	Address
Roxwell Church of England Primary School Save school	Primary Academy sponsor led - Mixed	4: Inadequate (2/14/2019)		Ofsted Report Link	Chelmsford

School	Type
Roxwell Church of England Primary School Ofsted report Save school	Primary Latest rating - 4: Inadequate (2/14/2019)

Parent view data is as at 02 January 2023 and source of data is Gov.uk. State school information including Ofsted ratings is as at 28 February 2023 and source of data is Gov.uk. Independent school information is as at 22 August 2022 and source of data is Gov.uk.

What are the commuting options from Chelmsford?

Chelmsford has it's own train station and some other train stations options too, but a drive would be required to them. London can be accessed via trains to Stratford (London) (from Chelmsford) in 25 min(s) or trains to London Liverpool Street (from Chelmsford) in 34 min(s).

Station	Distance from Chelmsford	Commute options
Chelmsford A busy station. Station footfall changed -3% from the previous year.	Nearby	- Stratford (London) (33 mins - Greater Anglia - £381 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (43 mins - Greater Anglia - £404 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 53 mins - London Overground - £404 monthly fare) View details - Cambridge (1 change(s) - 112 mins - Greater Anglia) View details
Ingatestone A relatively quiet station. Station footfall changed -5% from the previous year.	8 miles	- Stratford (London) (30 mins - Greater Anglia - £323 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (41 mins - Greater Anglia - £358 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 49 mins - London Overground - £358 monthly fare) View details - Cambridge (1 change(s) - 108 mins - Greater Anglia) View details
Billericay A relatively busy station. Station footfall changed -7% from the previous year.	10 miles	- Stratford (London) (36 mins - Greater Anglia - £327 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (47 mins - Greater Anglia - £354 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 53 mins - London Overground - £354 monthly fare) View details - Cambridge (1 change(s) - 112 mins - Greater Anglia) View details
Battlesbridge A very quiet station station. Station footfall changed +20% from the previous year.	11 miles	- Stratford (London) (36 mins - Greater Anglia - £381 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (46 mins - Greater Anglia - £408 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 64 mins - London Overground - £408 monthly fare) View details - Cambridge (1 change(s) - 123 mins - Greater Anglia) View details
Wickford A relatively busy station. Station footfall changed -7% from the previous year.	11 miles	- Stratford (London) (37 mins - Greater Anglia - £339 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (47 mins - Greater Anglia - £377 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 59 mins - London Overground - £377 monthly fare) View details - Cambridge (1 change(s) - 118 mins - Greater Anglia) View details
Stansted Airport A busy station. Station footfall changed -13% from the previous year.	14 miles	- Cambridge (45 mins - CrossCountry - £203 monthly fare) View details - Stratford (London) (42 mins - Greater Anglia - £451 monthly fare) View details - London Liverpool Street (58 mins - Greater Anglia - £451 monthly fare) View details - Highbury & Islington (1 change(s) - 70 mins - London Overground - £451 monthly fare) View details - Kings Cross (1 change(s) - 96 mins - Govia Thameslink Railway (Great Northern) - £451 monthly fare) View details - London St Pancras (1 change(s) - 108 mins - Thameslink - £451 monthly fare) View details - London Bridge (1 change(s) - 123 mins - Thameslink - £451 monthly fare) View details - East Croydon (1 change(s) - 137 mins - Thameslink - £451 monthly fare) View details - York (1 change(s) - 164 mins - Grand Central) View details

What is the ethnicity breakdown of the population?

The table below lists ethnicities living in the local authority (Chelmsford) as per the data published in December 2022. Source: ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk

Ethnicity	% of Chelmsford residents	Benchmark: % of England & Wales residents
White	88.5%	81.7%
Asian	5.3%	9.3%
Black	2.6%	4.0%
Mixed	2.6%	2.9%
Other	0.9%	2.1%

What is the socio-economic status Chelmsford?

The table below lists the types of occupations that residents have, at the Saffron Walden consituency level. Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Type of occupation	% of residents (over 16 years old)	Rank within England & Wales
Intermediate occupations	12.4%
Small employers and own account workers	13.9%
Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations	18.2%	67 out of 573
Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations	24.1%
Lower supervisory and technical occupations	4.6%
Semi-routine occupations	9.1%
Routine occupations	7.7%
Never worked / long-term unemployed	4.8%	549 out of 573
Full-time students	5.3%

How fast is the broadband in Chelmsford?

Relative to the UK average, the average broadband download speed in Essex is average (61mbps). Chelmsford is consistent with this, with average download speeds of 55.1mbps. You can also view really detailed broadband information at the Saffron Walden level, via data.parliament.uk, here.

Average speed	55.1 mbps
% households with superfast broadband access	87.9%
% households unable to access decent broadband	1.4%

Source: data.parliament.uk

What are the crime levels in the Chelmsford area?

Crime stats were found at the Chelmsford level:

Type	Chelmsford	UK
Total Crimes (per thousand people)	88	93
Burglaries (per thousand people)	5	5
Public Order Offences (per thousand people)	9	10
Bicycle Thefts (per thousand people)	2	1
Violence Against People (per thousand people)	36	36

Source: ONS. Data covers year ending September 2022.

Is there a flooding risk near Chelmsford?

We use an API provided by Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to identify any live flood warnings to be aware of and we also provide insight into whether flooding could occur from rivers, sea and groundwater within 1km of Chelmsford.

Flood warnings

There are no live flood warnings in the area, according to our interpretation of the DEFRA API.

Flood areas

The areas in the table below have been identified by the DEFRA API as areas where it is possible for flooding to occur from rivers, sea and in some locations, groundwater. Some of these areas will have measures in place to minimise the risk of flooding and they may be monitored by the Flood Warning Service.

Area	Cause	Description
East Anglia	River Wid, River Can	The River Wid from Brentwood, to and including Writtle, and the River Can at Chelmsford
East Anglia	Pant, Blackwater, Brain	The Rivers Pant and Blackwater from, Great Bardfield to Langford including Braintree, and the River Brain from, Black Notley to Witham
East Anglia	Chelmer	The River Chelmer from Great Dunmow to Rivermead campus and the Industrial Estate in Chelmsford
East Anglia	Chelmer	The River Chelmer from Churchend, through Great Dunmow, Hartford End, Howe Street and Little Waltham to the Rivermead Industrial Estate in Chelmsford

Handpicked nearby locations we recommend and how Chelmsford compares

Name	Property market	Crimes per 1,000	Schools nearby	Socio Economic
Chelmsford, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 1 Secondary:	18.2% residents in higher managerial positions 4.8% residents long-term unemployed
Epping, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Very fast broadband Slowing property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £608,830 Detached: £1,047,893	79	Primary: 5 Secondary: 2	16.9% residents in higher managerial positions 7.5% residents long-term unemployed
Saffron Walden, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Happiness High for UK Slowing property market Local Waitrose	Semi-detached: £451,213 Detached: £736,929	60	Primary: 6 Secondary: 1	18.2% residents in higher managerial positions 4.8% residents long-term unemployed
Debden, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Happiness High for UK Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £451,213 Detached: £736,929	60	Primary: 1 Secondary:	18.2% residents in higher managerial positions 4.8% residents long-term unemployed
Writtle, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 6 Secondary: 1	18.2% residents in higher managerial positions 4.8% residents long-term unemployed
Stock, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 3 Secondary: 1	14.5% residents in higher managerial positions 6.1% residents long-term unemployed
Pitsea, Essex Affordability: Average Very fast broadband Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £421,969 Detached: £689,889	109	Primary: 15 Secondary: 4	9.4% residents in higher managerial positions 8.1% residents long-term unemployed
Wickford, Essex Affordability: Average Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £421,969 Detached: £689,889	109	Primary: 10 Secondary: 3	13.8% residents in higher managerial positions 6.0% residents long-term unemployed
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Affordability: Expensive Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £427,742 Detached: £640,855	116	Primary: 11 Secondary: 8	13.9% residents in higher managerial positions 7.4% residents long-term unemployed
Maldon, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £388,478 Detached: £632,839	59	Primary: 5 Secondary: 1	14.5% residents in higher managerial positions 6.1% residents long-term unemployed
Dedham, Essex Affordability: Average Slowing property market Near the coast	Semi-detached: £334,751 Detached: £531,164	96	Primary: 3 Secondary:	12.7% residents in higher managerial positions 6.5% residents long-term unemployed

Name	Property	Crimes per 1,000	Schools nearby
Chelmsford, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 1 Secondary:
Epping, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Very fast broadband Slowing property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £608,830 Detached: £1,047,893	79	Primary: 5 Secondary: 2
Saffron Walden, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Happiness High for UK Slowing property market Local Waitrose	Semi-detached: £451,213 Detached: £736,929	60	Primary: 6 Secondary: 1
Debden, Essex Affordability: Expensive Affluent Happiness High for UK Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £451,213 Detached: £736,929	60	Primary: 1 Secondary:
Writtle, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 6 Secondary: 1
Stock, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market	Semi-detached: £431,354 Detached: £703,147	88	Primary: 3 Secondary: 1
Pitsea, Essex Affordability: Average Very fast broadband Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £421,969 Detached: £689,889	109	Primary: 15 Secondary: 4
Wickford, Essex Affordability: Average Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £421,969 Detached: £689,889	109	Primary: 10 Secondary: 3
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Affordability: Expensive Slowing property market	Semi-detached: £427,742 Detached: £640,855	116	Primary: 11 Secondary: 8
Maldon, Essex Affordability: Expensive Happiness High for UK Hot property market Local M&S	Semi-detached: £388,478 Detached: £632,839	59	Primary: 5 Secondary: 1
Dedham, Essex Affordability: Average Slowing property market Near the coast	Semi-detached: £334,751 Detached: £531,164	96	Primary: 3 Secondary:

More information on Chelmsford

- Compare to another location

- Share link to this page

- School map explorer

- Recent house purchases in area

- Blog: Places to live if you commute to Waterloo

- List: UK towns & villages recommended by us

- List: Top locations by % of residents in high income jobs

Leave a review of Chelmsford!

Do you live in Chelmsford or have visited before? A short review would really help the community surface the best places to live. Thank you!

What is your relationship to Chelmsford?:

How would you rate it as a place to live (5 is the best):

Tell us something about Chelmsford which would help people who are considering moving here:

Your name or alias (shown):

Your e-mail (not shown):

What are the best traits of Chelmsford?:

	Property market	£431,354 for a semi-detached property
	Airport access	Closest airport is London Southend (9.7 miles)
	Broadband	55.1mbps average broadband speeds (average broadband for UK)
	Ethnic diversity	White: 88.5% residents (vs 81.7% England & Wales) Other: 11.4% residents (vs 18.3% England & Wales)
	Socio-economic status	Ranked 67 out of 573 in England & Wales for % of residents in higher managerial positions and 549 out of 573 for residents who are long-term unemployed (Saffron Walden level)
	Community	Median age is 41.6 \| Population of 168,310 \| Happiness is Above Average for Essex, High for UK
	Crime	5.0 burglaries per 1k people (Chelmsford)
	Commute (approx)	- Stratford (London) (25 mins) - London Liverpool Street (34 mins) - Highbury & Islington (53 mins)
	Quick links	Ask a question about Chelmsford on the discussion board View more locations in Essex View nearby schools on a map

	£431,354 for a semi-detached property
	Closest airport is London Southend (9.7 miles)
	55.1mbps average broadband speeds (average broadband for UK)
	Median age is 41.6 \| 168,310 \| Happiness is Above Average for Essex, High for UK
	Ranked 67 out of 573 in England & Wales for % of residents in higher managerial positions and 549 out of 573 for residents who are long-term unemployed (Saffron Walden level)
	5.0 burglaries per 1k people (Chelmsford)
	- Stratford (London) (25 mins) - London Liverpool Street (34 mins) - Highbury & Islington (53 mins)
	Ask a question about Chelmsford on the discussion board View more locations in Essex View nearby schools on a map

Chelmsford

Quick stats