United Kingdom · East of England · Local Authority
Watford
Non-metropolitan district · East of England, England · population ~97k · 38 state-funded schools
High cost of living, but exceptional schools. Watford’s median house price stands at 9.4 times median annual pay, and monthly rents consume a steep 48% of gross earnings, both significantly higher than the East of England median. Recorded crime is also a concern, at 87.1 per 1,000 people, placing it among the worst in the region. However, Watford shines for education, with 96.3% of pupils attending Good or Outstanding schools, the highest proportion in the East of England. This makes it a compelling choice for families prioritising educational outcomes, provided they can absorb the considerable housing and rental costs.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-08 data.
The signature
How Watford ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£45,344/yr
Very high
Better than 84% of UK LAs
House price
£425,000
Very expensive
Worse than 81% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,813/mo
Very expensive
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,447/yr
Mid
Around UK average
Crime
87.1/1k
High
Worse than 71% of UK LAs
Deprivation
15.4
Low
Better than 65% of UK LAs
Schools
92.1%
Mid
Worse than 58% 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
38 state-funded schools · Ofsted Feb 2026
35 of 38 (92.1%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. How we count →
The map
38 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 38 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Watford →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.