Forest Road, Colchester, CO4 3XH

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding CO4 3XH is primarily male, with 54.7% of the population being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	47.2%	45.3%	-1.9%	51.0%	-5.7%
Male	52.8%	54.7%	1.9%	49.0%	5.7%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate area around CO4 3XH, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 67.3% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	63.3%	67.3%	4.0%	37.9%	29.4%
Married: Opposite sex	26.8%	21.6%	-5.2%	44.2%	-22.6%
Married: Same sex	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	0.8%	2%	1.2%	2.2%	-0.2%
Divorced	6.9%	6.7%	-0.2%	9.1%	-2.4%
Widowed	1.7%	2.3%	0.6%	6.1%	-3.8%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	50.4%	46.4%	-4.0%	48.4%	-2.0%
Good health	37.5%	35.8%	-1.7%	33.6%	2.2%
Fair health	7.4%	14.2%	6.8%	12.7%	1.5%
Bad health	3.2%	2.1%	-1.1%	4.0%	-1.9%
Very bad health	1.5%	1.6%	0.1%	1.2%	0.4%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

This area stands out for its low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 20.9%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	10.2%	13.4%	3.2%	18.2%	-4.8%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	8%	9.6%	1.6%	9.6%	0.0%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	11%	11.9%	0.9%	13.4%	-1.5%
Apprenticeship	1.1%	1.2%	0.1%	5.3%	-4.1%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	39.2%	37.8%	-1.4%	16.9%	20.9%
Degree or Similar	17.1%	20.9%	3.8%	33.8%	-12.9%
Other	13.3%	5.2%	-8.1%	2.8%	2.4%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 72.8% of the residents identify as white, which is lower than the UK average of 81.4%, there are significant representations of other ethnic groups.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	2%	2.6%	0.6%	1.1%	1.5%
Chinese	2%	0.8%	-1.2%	0.7%	0.1%
Indian	2.2%	1.6%	-0.6%	3.1%	-1.5%
Pakistani	0.5%	1%	0.5%	2.7%	-1.7%
Other Asian	3.5%	3.4%	-0.1%	1.6%	1.8%
Black African	3.5%	6.7%	3.2%	2.5%	4.2%
Black Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.0%	-0.7%
Other Black	1%	0.3%	-0.7%	0.5%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%	0.8%	-0.3%
Mixed White and African	1.5%	1.8%	0.3%	0.4%	1.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.7%	1%	-0.7%	0.9%	0.1%
Mixed Other	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.8%	-0.8%
White	80.7%	72.8%	-7.9%	81.4%	-8.6%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.1%	-0.1%
Arab	0.2%	2.3%	2.1%	0.6%	1.7%
Other	0.5%	4.9%	4.4%	1.6%	3.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 70.2% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is lower than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	79.5%	70.2%	-9.3%	83.2%	-13.0%
European Union	9.9%	14%	4.1%	6.1%	7.9%
Rest of Europe	0.7%	0.5%	-0.2%	0.8%	-0.3%
Africa	2.2%	4.4%	2.2%	2.7%	1.7%
Middle East and Asia	6.9%	9.1%	2.2%	5.6%	3.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.7%	1.8%	1.1%	1.3%	0.5%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	79.5%	70%	-9.5%	83.2%	-13.2%
10+ Years	3.5%	9%	5.5%	9.8%	-0.8%
5-10 Years	7.9%	5.7%	-2.2%	2.9%	2.8%
2-5 Years	4.7%	5.2%	0.5%	2.2%	3.0%
Less than 2 years	4.4%	10.1%	5.7%	1.9%	8.2%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	65.4%	76.7%	-11.3%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
France	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Germany	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
Italy	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Portugal	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Lithuania	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Poland	1%	1.3%	-0.3%
Romania	7%	0.9%	6.1%
Other EU countries	2.1%	1.5%	0.6%
Other Europe	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
South and Eastern Africa	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
Eastern Asia	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Southern Asia	1.3%	1.2%	0.1%
South-East Asia	2.3%	0.2%	2.1%
North America and the Caribbean	1%	0.3%	0.7%
Central and South America	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
No passport held	13.8%	13.5%	0.3%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	41%	37.2%	3.8%
Christian	38.2%	46.2%	-8.0%
Hindu	1.3%	1.7%	-0.4%
Jewish	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Muslim	9.4%	6.5%	2.9%
Sikh	0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
Other religion	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Not answered	8.6%	6.0%	2.6%

Safety

Is Forest Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Forest Road was 116.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 16.1% lower than the Greenstead average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Forest Road has the 29th highest crime rate of 79 local areas in Greenstead and the 136th highest crime rate of 615 local areas in Colchester .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 76.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -34.2%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a lower level of wealth compared to the average household in England and Wales. 90% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have higher average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£33,900

Income Rank
2/10

Household Income in CO4 3XH, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 9/10 (very high )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 10/10 (very high )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 9/10 (very high )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 10/10 (very high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 9/10 (very high )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 8/10 (high )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Forest Road are based on 156 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Colchester.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Forest Road, Colchester, CO4 3XH

Estimated Average Property Prices for CO4 3XH

Average Price
£250,246

Semi-Detached
£254,815

Terraced
£262,258

Detached
£337,352

Flats/Maisonettes
£143,006

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Forest Road

Average Price
£234,871

Semi-Detached
£263,829

Terraced
£248,809

Detached
£305,703

Flats/Maisonettes
£141,148

Other
£200,164

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Forest Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
89 Forest Road, Colchester, Essex Detached, an established residential building	£385,000	2025-08-19	£383,001
110 Forest Road, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£266,000	2021-12-01	£285,921
83 Forest Road, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£255,000	2021-11-12	£274,399
110 Forest Road, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£230,000	2019-02-12	£271,111
95 Forest Road, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£131,400	2017-01-06	£167,642

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for CO4 3XH

Employment

The percentage of student residents living in CO4 3XH area is much higher than the country's average. Usually places with high percentage of students are near Universities and near entertainment places.

Economic Activity

Student (economically inactive)	81
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	73
Full-Time Employee	59
Retired	44
Part-Time Employee	30
Self-Employed	18
Looking after home or family	14
Unemployed	14
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7
Other	3

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	36
Accommodation and food service activities	21
Human health and social work activities	20
Education	19
Other	15
Manufacturing	11
Construction	9
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	8
Administrative and support service activities	5
Professional, scientific and technical activities	5
Transport and storage	4
Financial and insurance activities	3
Real estate activities	2
Information and communication	1

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Unity Primary Academy Hickory Avenue , Greenstead CO4 3QJ	3out of 4	264 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Hazelmere Junior School Hawthorn Avenue , CO4 3JP	3out of 4	1,098 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery Hawthorn Avenue , Greenstead Estate CO4 3JP	3out of 4	1,098 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery Barnardiston Road , CO4 0DT	3out of 4	1,231 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Roach Vale Primary School Roach Vale , Parsons Heath CO4 3YN	3out of 4	1,361 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Colchester Academy Hawthorn Avenue , CO4 3JL	3out of 4	1,005 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Thomas Lord Audley School Monkwick Avenue , Monkwick CO2 8NJ	3out of 4	3,129 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Helena School Sheepen Road , CO3 3LE	3out of 4	3,273 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Colchester Royal Grammar School Lexden Road , CO3 3ND	4out of 4	3,275 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
The Gilberd School Brinkley Lane , CO4 9PU	4out of 4	3,488 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
The Sixth Form College Colchester North Hill , CO1 1SN	- not rated	2,710 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Colchester Institute Sheepen Road , CO3 3LL	- not rated	3,218 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
University of Essex Wivenhoe Park , CO4 3SQ	- not rated	1,778 yd	Higher education institutions	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Colchester High School Wellesley Road , CO3 3HD	- not rated	3,024 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Oxford House School 2 Lexden Road , CO3 3NE	- not rated	3,217 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Kingswode Hoe School Sussex Road , CO3 3QJ	3out of 4	3,730 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
North East Essex Co-operative Academy Turner Road , Mile End CO4 5LB	3out of 4	3,860 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
D Village Kitchen	4 Davey Close, Colchester	448 yd
OM	Momosh Food Box Ltd Unit 3, Colne Reach	824 yd
Pizza Night Plus	2 Lightship Way, Colchester	911 yd
Subway	28 Lightship Way, Colchester	946 yd
Bambu	95 Quayside Drive, Colchester	1,007 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Greenstead Association Social Club	Blackthorn Avenue, Colchester		365 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Food sooo Good	Food Sooo Good, 91 Hythe Hill	666 yd
Wink Lee	Wink Lee Chinese Takeaway, 197 Harwich Road	919 yd
Beijing Cantonese Take Away	1 Greenstead Road, Colchester	982 yd
Domino's Pizza	30 Lightship Way, Colchester	1,020 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
One Stop	24-26 Hunwicke Road, Colchester		495 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Unity Academy HICKORY AVENUE	grass pitches	140 yd
Colchester Academy HAWTHORN AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	980 yd
Paxmans Athletic & Social Club (Closed) Hythe Hill	grass pitches	1,042 yd
Hazelmere Junior School HAWTHORN AVENUE	grass pitches	1,083 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	67 Mbit/s
Average download speed	109.7 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	350 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	350 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	14.5 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	35 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.

Overview of CO4 3XH