Water Lane, Watford, WD17 2AP

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding WD17 2AP has a slightly higher male population, with 51.1% of residents 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	42%	48.9%	6.9%	51.0%	-2.1%
Male	58%	51.1%	-6.9%	49.0%	2.1%

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 WD17 2AP, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 48.9% 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	61.6%	48.9%	-12.7%	37.9%	11.0%
Married: Opposite sex	23.3%	33.9%	10.6%	44.2%	-10.3%
Married: Same sex	0.7%	0.5%	-0.2%	0.3%	0.2%
Civil partnership: Opposite sex	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.1%	0.7%
Separated	5%	2.6%	-2.4%	2.2%	0.4%
Divorced	7.2%	11.1%	3.9%	9.1%	2.0%
Widowed	2.2%	2.1%	-0.1%	6.1%	-4.0%

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	52.4%	51.2%	-1.2%	48.4%	2.8%
Good health	30.9%	32.7%	1.8%	33.6%	-0.9%
Fair health	10.7%	8.8%	-1.9%	12.7%	-3.9%
Bad health	4.7%	4.5%	-0.2%	4.0%	0.5%
Very bad health	1.3%	2.9%	1.6%	1.2%	1.7%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	15.8%	18.3%	2.5%	18.2%	0.1%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	22.6%	11.8%	-10.8%	9.6%	2.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	13.3%	13.4%	0.1%	13.4%	0.0%
Apprenticeship	0.7%	6.5%	5.8%	5.3%	1.2%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	7.9%	9.9%	2.0%	16.9%	-7.0%
Degree or Similar	30.1%	34.8%	4.7%	33.8%	1.0%
Other	9.7%	5.2%	-4.5%	2.8%	2.4%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 52.8% 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	0%	1%	1.0%	1.1%	-0.1%
Chinese	0.9%	1.2%	0.3%	0.7%	0.5%
Indian	2.5%	5.2%	2.7%	3.1%	2.1%
Pakistani	11%	12.4%	1.4%	2.7%	9.7%
Other Asian	6.3%	5.2%	-1.1%	1.6%	3.6%
Black African	5.4%	6.4%	1.0%	2.5%	3.9%
Black Caribbean	2.2%	3.3%	1.1%	1.0%	2.3%
Other Black	0.9%	0.8%	-0.1%	0.5%	0.3%
Mixed White and Asian	2.2%	0.4%	-1.8%	0.8%	-0.4%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	0.8%	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.6%	1.4%	-0.2%	0.9%	0.5%
Mixed Other	1.3%	0.8%	-0.5%	0.8%	0.0%
White	61.8%	52.8%	-9.0%	81.4%	-28.6%
Roma	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.2%	0.4%
Arab	0.9%	2.1%	1.2%	0.6%	1.5%
Other	2.5%	5.6%	3.1%	1.6%	4.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 52.9% 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	65%	52.9%	-12.1%	83.2%	-30.3%
European Union	8.5%	15.8%	7.3%	6.1%	9.7%
Rest of Europe	1.9%	4.3%	2.4%	0.8%	3.5%
Africa	11.4%	7.4%	-4.0%	2.7%	4.7%
Middle East and Asia	11.7%	15.4%	3.7%	5.6%	9.8%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1.6%	3.9%	2.3%	1.3%	2.6%
Oceania	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	65%	53.2%	-11.8%	83.2%	-30.0%
10+ Years	0.6%	27.2%	26.6%	9.8%	17.4%
5-10 Years	11.4%	8.7%	-2.7%	2.9%	5.8%
2-5 Years	7.3%	7.4%	0.1%	2.2%	5.2%
Less than 2 years	15.8%	3.5%	-12.3%	1.9%	1.6%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	65.6%	76.7%	-11.1%
Ireland	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
France	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Italy	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
Portugal	1%	0.5%	0.5%
Spain	1.6%	0.4%	1.2%
Lithuania	1.4%	0.3%	1.1%
Poland	4.5%	1.3%	3.2%
Romania	6.2%	0.9%	5.3%
Other EU countries	2.5%	1.5%	1.0%
Turkey	0.8%	0.1%	0.7%
Other Europe	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
North Africa	1%	0.1%	0.9%
Central and Western Africa	1.4%	0.3%	1.1%
South and Eastern Africa	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Middle East	0.8%	0.1%	0.7%
Eastern Asia	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
Southern Asia	3.7%	1.2%	2.5%
North America and the Caribbean	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
No passport held	6%	13.5%	-7.5%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	26.5%	37.2%	-10.7%
Christian	38.1%	46.2%	-8.1%
Buddhist	0.2%	0.5%	-0.3%
Hindu	4.5%	1.7%	2.8%
Muslim	23.5%	6.5%	17.0%
Other religion	1.9%	0.6%	1.3%
Not answered	5.3%	6.0%	-0.7%

Safety

Is Water Lane Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Water Lane was 943.1 per 1,000 residents, which is 170.2% higher than the Central average. The most reported crime type was Shoplifting.

Water Lane has the 4th highest crime rate of 32 local areas in Central and the 5th highest crime rate of 275 local areas in Watford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 266.3 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -72.5%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 68% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£50,200

Income Rank
7/10

Household Income in WD17 2AP, 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 - 9/10 (very 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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 6/10 (average )
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 - 9/10 (very 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 - 10/10 (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 - 9/10 (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 - 5/10 (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) - 8/10 (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) - 9/10 (very 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 Water Lane are based on 49 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Watford.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Water Lane, Watford, WD17 2AP

Estimated Average Property Prices for WD17 2AP

Average Price
£212,354

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£212,354

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Water Lane

Average Price
£350,694

Semi-Detached
£411,442

Terraced
£412,795

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£254,064

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Water LaneStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 25 Rainbow House, 24 Water Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£173,250	2025-03-31	£170,662
Flat 26 Rainbow House, 24 Water Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£157,500	2019-02-28	£174,627
Flat 62 Rainbow House, 24 Water Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£373,000	2019-01-18	£417,777
Flat 36 Rainbow House, 24 Water Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£219,000	2019-01-08	£245,290
Flat 25 Rainbow House, 24 Water Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£165,000	2018-04-25	£176,416

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for WD17 2AP

Employment

WD17 2AP area has a high level of entrepreneurship. Only 18% of streets have higher percent of entrepreneur residents. 13% of population in this area is self-employed, while the average in the UK is 9.7%. High number of entrepreneurs usually leads to relatively high economic growth, higher paid jobs and better quality of life in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	149
Self-Employed	49
Part-Time Employee	42
Long-Term Sick or disabled	28
Looking after home or family	27
Unemployed	27
Other	26
Student (economically inactive)	12
Retired	12
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	8

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	39
Human health and social work activities	20
Administrative and support service activities	18
Information and communication	18
Construction	13
Accommodation and food service activities	13
Transport and storage	12
Education	10
Other	9
Professional, scientific and technical activities	9
Manufacturing	9
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6
Financial and insurance activities	3
Real estate activities	2

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oxhey Early Years Centre Eastbury Road , Oxhey WD19 4RL	4out of 4	1,478 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Kingswood Nursery School Briar Road , WD25 0DX	4out of 4	4,230 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Central Primary School Derby Road , WD17 2LX	3out of 4	245 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Field Junior School Watford Field Road , WD18 0AZ	4out of 4	556 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Watford Field School (Infant & Nursery) Neal Street , WD18 0WF	3out of 4	556 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Watford St John's Church of England Primary School 32 Clarendon Road , WD17 1JJ	3out of 4	590 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Chater Junior School Addiscombe Road , WD18 0WN	4out of 4	761 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Watford Grammar School for Girls Lady's Close , WD18 0AE	4out of 4	407 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School
Watford Grammar School for Boys Rickmansworth Road , WD18 7JF	4out of 4	1,625 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
The Watford UTC 18 Colonial Way , WD24 4PT	3out of 4	1,630 yd	University technical college	No	Mixed	More About School
Queens' School Aldenham Road , WD23 2TY	3out of 4	1,877 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Westfield Academy Tolpits Lane , WD18 6NS	3out of 4	1,948 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
West Herts College Watford Campus , Hempstead Road WD17 3EZ	- not rated	1,363 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Longwood School Bushey Hall Drive , WD23 2QG	- not rated	1,343 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Chessbrook Education Support Centre Tolpits Lane , WD18 6LJ	4out of 4	1,808 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Falconer School Falconer Road , WD23 3AT	3out of 4	2,038 yd	Community special school	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
The Purcell School Aldenham Road , Bushey WD23 2TS	- not rated	2,079 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Gurukula - The Hare Krishna Primary School Hartspring Cottage , Elton Way WD25 8HB	- not rated	2,868 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Taste Of Lahore	170 High Street, Watford	101 yd
Oodles Chinese	162 High Street, Watford	101 yd
Boga Steak Grill	152 - 154 High Street, Watford	131 yd
Shakeaway	Intu Watford, 135 High Street	136 yd
Bubble King	148 High Street, Watford	141 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The One Crown	156 High Street, Watford	148 yd
Diamonds And Strings	9 Market Street, Watford	504 yd
Watford Social Club	70 - 72 Queens Road, Watford	513 yd
The Florist	Intu Watford, 65 - 67 High Street	556 yd
The Palace Theatre	Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Road	619 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Wings N More Ltd	162 High Street, Watford	101 yd
Tikka Nation	Intu Watford, 52A The Harlequin	167 yd
Subway	11 King Street, Watford	251 yd
Yo To Go	Tesco Stores Limited, 239 - 241 Lower High Street	362 yd
Kellys Market	Tesco Stores Limited, 239 - 241 Lower High Street	362 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Tesco	114D High Street, Watford	286 yd
Tesco	Tesco Stores Limited, 239 - 241 Lower High Street	362 yd
Aldi	7 - 8 Century Park, Dalton Way	503 yd
Marks And Spencers	91 - 95 High Street, Watford	545 yd
The Range	Unit 1, Watford Arches Retail Park	555 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Watford Fields Recreation Ground (Closed) Watford Field Road	grass pitches	368 yd
Femme Fitness (Ladies Only) (Closed) Queens Road	health and fitness suite	425 yd
Watford Grammar School For Girls LADYS CLOSE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool, tennis courts	439 yd
Waterfields Recreation Ground (Closed) Shaftesbury Road	grass pitches	458 yd
Ymca Community Gym (Watford) CHARTER HOUSE CHARTER HOUSE CHARTER PLACE	health and fitness suite, squash courts	582 yd
Nrg (Watford) 19-21 19-21 CLARENDON ROAD	health and fitness suite	722 yd
Oxhey Park (Closed) Wiggenhall Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	806 yd
Fitness4Less (Watford) THE PARADE HIGH STREET	health and fitness suite	815 yd
Radlett Road Playing Fields Radlett Road	grass pitches	847 yd
Watford Fc (Vicarage Road Stadium) VICARAGE ROAD STADIUM VICARAGE ROAD STADIUM VICARAGE ROAD	grass pitches	910 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	80 Mbit/s
Average download speed	195.6 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	900 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	900 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	162 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	900 Mbit/s

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

Overview of WD17 2AP