United Kingdom · East of England · Local Authority
Harlow
Non-metropolitan district · East of England, England · population ~87k · 40 state-funded schools
Accessible housing costs come at the price of high rental burdens and significant local deprivation in Harlow. While the median house price of £335,000 sits below the regional median, the cost of renting is steep, consuming 48% of median gross pay. This financial strain is compounded by a house price to earnings ratio of 8.8x, making home ownership a heavy commitment relative to local wages of £728.10 per week. Beyond the finances, the area faces challenges with recorded crime at 91.7 per 1,000 people, which is among the highest in the East of England. These figures suggest a location that may suit those seeking a foothold in the property market, provided they can navigate the high cost of renting and the broader socio-economic pressures reflected in the deprivation score.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Harlow ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£37,861/yr
Low
Worse than 65% of UK LAs
House price
£335,000
Expensive
Worse than 64% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,513/mo
Very expensive
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,299/yr
Cheapest
Better than 80% of UK LAs
Crime
91.7/1k
High
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Deprivation
21.4
High
Worse than 61% of UK LAs
Schools
89.7%
Weak
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
42 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
35 of 39 (89.7%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 3 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
40 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 40 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Harlow →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.