Living in Ashford

In Ashford (South East England) (DE01B), unemployment is 3.2% (2023).

Ashford (Ashford) is a city in the United Kingdom. The employment rate was 63.2% in March 2021. For Ashford (Ashford), annual NO₂ was 9.25 µg/m³ in 2025. In March 2021, Ashford (Ashford) had a population of 82,140. The city covered 20.8 km² in December 2022. Population density was 3,951.1 people per km² in 2021. Gigabit broadband availability was 93.4%. Owner occupation accounted for 62.8% of homes in March 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-2431 sources

Population82,140people21 Mar 2021Official source · Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.

Median gross salary (region)3,224EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk

Average rent1,458EUR/month31 Aug 2026District figureOfficial source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price

Unemployment rate3.2%country median 3.4% — 6% belowOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

Recorded crime6,526incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)

PM2.5, annual mean6.52µg/m³country median 6.5 — about the sameOfficial source · official estimated total annual mean background concentration

Lower unemployment than 63% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 89% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Ashford?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Ashford.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Ashford. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24

Mobile plan, 10 GB€13

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	24.02 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	BT Full Fibre 150¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack²⁰Official · national market
Dwellings	32,130 count	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁶Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Rent price index, mean	1,459 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics¹⁹Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,458 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price¹⁵Official · county

Is Ashford a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker36%strong on work, weak on safety · range 27–45%

Skilled employee65%strong on work, weak on safety · range 56–74%

Student42%strong on education, weak on work · range 33–51%

Family62%strong on family, weak on cost · range 52–72%

Retirement36%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 24–48%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Ashford?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk²²

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Ashford is 3.2%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Ashford 3.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	93.43 %	Not stated	www.ofcom.org.uk³¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Employment rate	63.2 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley¹⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Superfast broadband availability	99 %	Not stated	www.ofcom.org.uk³¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Median gross salary (regional)	3,224 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.ons.gov.uk²¹Official
Unemployment rate	3.2 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2023	www.ons.gov.uk²²Official

What does a salary buy in Ashford?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,166of €2,661 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,661
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price · 2026-08-31	− €1,458
Internet€24 · official · BT Full Fibre 150 · 2026-09-30	− €24
Mobile plan€13 · official · Three 100GB one-month data pack · 2026-09-30	− €13
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,166

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Ashford Salary needed to live in Ashford

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Ashford. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Ashford. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	27 count	7 Jul 2026	DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Primary schools	46 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)³Official
Schools	62 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)³Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Ashford's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	3 count	7 Jul 2026	NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates⁸Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Ashford under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Ashford?

Police recorded about 6,526 incidents per 100,000 (2025-26). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)¹⁸

Recorded crime across major citiesAshford highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Coventry8,836

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	6,526 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3)¹⁸Official · county
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	2,977 per 100,000	Apr 2026	data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary²Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Burglary per 100,000 residents	183.8 per 100,000	30 Apr 2026	data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary²Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	14 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁶Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	49 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁷Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	SEN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁷Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 6.52 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual PM10 was 11.4 µg/m³ in 2025.

Is the air quality good in Ashford?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6.5 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 6.52 µg/m³ · official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹³

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.56.5WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1011.4WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂9.2WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Ashford is 6.5 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Ashford 6.5

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	9.25 µg/m³country median 7.2	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹¹Official
PM10 — annual mean	11.42 µg/m³country median 11.3 — about the same	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹²Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	6.52 µg/m³country median 6.5 — about the same	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹³Official
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 13.2 · Feb 14.37 · Mar 17.66 · Apr 22.06 · May 23.3 · Jun 25.84 · Jul 28.51 · Aug 29.67 · Sep 24.76 · Oct 22.67 · Nov 17.3 · Dec 13.8 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁷Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -4.36 · Feb -4.47 · Mar -3.36 · Apr -0.64 · May 2.95 · Jun 6.39 · Jul 9.95 · Aug 8.53 · Sep 6.84 · Oct 2.41 · Nov -0.8 · Dec -2.58 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁷Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.59 · Feb 5.37 · Mar 6.71 · Apr 9.2 · May 12.17 · Jun 15.08 · Jul 17.19 · Aug 17.38 · Sep 15.45 · Oct 12.71 · Nov 9.09 · Dec 6.48 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁷Official · coordinate grid

Population and city profile

How many people live in Ashford?

The published population was 82,140 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport82.4%
Foreign residents17.6%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	20.79 km²	Dec 2022	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁶Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
City area	20.79 km²	Dec 2022	Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2.⁵Official
Foreign residents	14,445 people	21 Mar 2021	Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts.⁶Official
GP practices per 10,000 residents	0.365 per 10,000 people	7 Jul 2026	NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates⁸Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Schools per 10,000 residents	3.29 per 10,000 people	7 Jul 2026	DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Population density	3,951 people/km²	21 Mar 2021	www.ons.gov.uk⁶Official · built-up-area figure
Population	82,140 people	21 Mar 2021	Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.⁶Official

International community in Ashford

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usual residents living in the individual ONS Built-up Area on Census Day 21 March 2021 · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Europe: United Kingdom	67,695	82.4%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	10,060	12.2%
Europe: EU countries	4,385	5.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁶

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Owner-occupied homes	62.84 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁶Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents born abroad	17.6 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁶Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	28 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Workers aged 16 and over	40,785 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Median age	37 years	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁶Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹⁰Official

Alternatives for people set on Ashford

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Gillingham as an Ashford alternative in the same region

34 km away, better on 1 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 37 Gillingham vs 6,526 Ashford−99%
Median gross pay, region: €3,171 Gillingham vs €3,224 Ashfordno percentage
Annual PM2.5: 7.0 µg/m³ Gillingham vs 6.5 µg/m³ Ashford+7%

Full comparison More about Gillingham

Cities near Ashford

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Ashford, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Redditch81,635 residents Wigan81,580 residents Scunthorpe81,265 residents Bury81,095 residents High Wycombe83,535 residents Fylde83,846 residents

How does Ashford compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Ashford's.

Open the full comparison

Ashford in rankings

#21 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in United Kingdom

Put Ashford's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Ashford?

The published population was 82,140 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales..

Is the air quality good in Ashford?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6.5 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: official estimated total annual mean background concentration.

How safe is Ashford?

What is the unemployment rate in Ashford?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary around Ashford?

The median gross salary is 3,224 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

How many foreign residents live in Ashford?

14,445 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts..

Is Ashford a good place to live?

Ashford may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Ashford?

New Romney, Faversham, Canterbury, Folkestone, Sittingbourne are near Ashford. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Europe: United Kingdom live in Ashford?

The official country of birth distribution records 67,695 people (82.4%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Ashford (ENG-G5), United Kingdom: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version ce5bfab75842a8ccb7cfe58ea75c01a8]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/ashford-eng-g5/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_ashford-eng-g5-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary_c5a007b63eea,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Ashford (ENG-G5), United Kingdom: population, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {ce5bfab75842a8ccb7cfe58ea75c01a8},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/ashford-eng-g5/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Ashford (ENG-G5), United Kingdom: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/ashford-eng-g5/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version ce5bfab75842a8ccb7cfe58ea75c01a8; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary data.police.uk · checked 2026-07-07
Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-07
Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2. services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-07-15
Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts. ons.gov.uk · checked 2021-03-21
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates digital.nhs.uk · checked 2026-07-07
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03

Show 21 more sources

official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-05
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Police force area tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C4 or P3) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-24
Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-12
Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
www.ofcom.org.uk ofcom.org.uk · checked 2026-07-15

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