Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a city in Essex, England, with a population of around 295,310. It has 5 pharmacies, 2 supermarkets, and around 28 restaurants and cafés, with 69 bus stops and the nearest railway station being Chalkwell, 1.9 km away. The average sold house price is around £354,578. There were around 1,096 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Southend-on-Sea area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Southend-on-Sea area is more deprived than the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 180,686 residents at roughly 4,336 people per km².
- Council
- Southend-on-Sea
- County
- Essex
- Constituency
- Southend West
- Police force
- Essex
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 237th of 294 English council areas — better than 19% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
10°CPartly Cloudy
- Today: 13° / 10° · 30% rain
- Tomorrow: 12° / 10° · Patchy rain nearby
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:50Sunset 16:30
9h 40m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
67US AQI · Moderate
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 7.3 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 5.5% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
1108 reported · August 2026▲ 3% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences421
- Anti-social behaviour207
- Shoplifting99
- Public order74
117 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Southend Central · Essex
Local policing priorities
- We are focusing on reducing repeat shop theft across the Southend district.
- We are focusing on reducing sexual exploitation and safeguarding vulnerable people.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
273 reported road collisions (2025)
68 killed or seriously injured · 332 casualties · 15.1 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 398 rated 4–5 ★ (312 top)
- 22 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Southend Central (0.2 km)
- 73 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Southend Central (0.2 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£326,132 average
Across Southend-on-Sea · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,306 average monthly rent▲ 4.9% YoY
- 1 bed £878
- 2 bed £1,116
- 3 bed £1,360
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
10.7× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 10.7 times median annual pay (9.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
2,320 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 155.9p · Esso (8.2 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 188.9p · Esso (8.2 km)
6 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
21 charging locations within ~8 km
- 10 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 300 kW
- Nearest: Warrior Square Car Park (0.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres3
- Gyms1
- Sports pitches12
- Playgrounds4
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
180,686 residents in Southend-on-Sea · 4,336/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 19%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK10,342
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK10,276
- Net moves+66
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
More deprived than the average in England
Ranked 113 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
11% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,265 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (30% of 83,360)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
61 schools · 32,438 pupils
33 primary · 12 secondary · 16 other
Ofsted: 25 of 28 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (89%)
52 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Southend High School for BoysOutstanding
- Southend High School for GirlsOutstanding
- Westcliff High School for Boys AcademyOutstanding
- Westcliff High School for GirlsOutstanding
- Cecil Jones AcademyGood
- Shoeburyness High SchoolGood
- Belfairs AcademyRequires improvement
- Southchurch High SchoolRequires improvement
- Chase High School
- St Bernard's High School
- St Thomas More High School
- The Eastwood Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Southend-on-Sea
Care & health services
252 CQC-registered services
- Care homes85
- GP practices33
- Dentists38
- Homecare agencies78
- Hospitals & hospices3
CQC ratings: 89% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 4 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Southend-on-Sea
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 35 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
213 applications decided
88.3% granted · 188 granted, 25 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Mr Bayo Alaba
Independent
Southend East and Rochford
Recent votes:
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Carry-over extension motion
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- NoClosure motion
- AyeDraft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour / Green / Liberal Democrat coalition
- Lab 17
- Con 11
- LD 3
- Grn 4
- Ref 11
- Oth 5
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools11
- GPs & clinics4
- Pharmacies7
- Supermarkets8
- Parks & greens22
- Restaurants & cafés196
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
7,900 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
499 jobs advertised · £39,225 avg
e.g. Unqualified History Teacher, History Teacher, Disability Assessor
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£810 median full-time weekly pay
4.2% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,130 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
32% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 88,368 certificates
10.9% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
58% low-carbon electricity
Gas 40% · Wind 28% · Nuclear 19% · Biomass 12%
172 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.2 yrs women · 79.4 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 61.4 women · 61.3 men
58% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.4
- Feeling worthwhile7.8
- Happiness yesterday7.3
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
7 GP surgeries · 9 pharmacies in SS1
- The Queensway Surgery
- Southend Coastal Surgeries - Thorpe Bay
- Southend Medical Centre
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Southend East and Rochford:
- Mandatory suicide risk assessment for adolescents in hospital who express intent380 local signatures · 18,972 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND236 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth192 local signatures · 113,305 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases191 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK173 local signatures · 78,478 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Southend Central railway station · 0.2 kmSouthend Central railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line and is one of two primary stations serving the city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The city's other main station is called Southend Victoria whi…
South Essex College · 0.2 kmSouth Essex College of Further and Higher Education or simply South Essex College, trading as South Essex Colleges Group (SECG), is a college of further education, higher education and adult education in South Essex,…
The Railway Hotel, Southend-on-Sea · 0.3 kmThe Railway Hotel is a historic public house located at the end of Clifftown Road in the Clifftown conservation area of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Founded around 1868, it served as a social hub and live music ve…
- New Empire Theatre · 0.3 km
The New Empire Theatre was a historic theatre in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Built in 1896, it closed in 1998 and was demolished in 2017.
- J F Dixons · 0.3 km
Dixons was an independent department store that opened its doors in Southend, England, during 1913 and closed for good 60 years later in 1973.
- Southend-on-Sea Corporation Transport · 0.3 km
Southend-on-Sea Corporation Transport was the overarching name given to the local municipal transport services provided to the town of Southend-on-Sea by the local council. Initially started as a tramway, although kno…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Southend-on-Sea with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Southend-on-Sea?
- Southend-on-Sea is a town in Essex, England, in the Southend-on-Sea local authority.
- What is the population of Southend-on-Sea?
- Southend-on-Sea has an approximate settlement population of 295,310.
- How deprived is Southend-on-Sea?
- The Southend-on-Sea local authority, which includes Southend-on-Sea, is more deprived than the average in England on the IoD2025.