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Harpenden South · St Albans

Harpenden South: your neighbourhood

Harpenden South electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.

What stands out here?

Homes rented from a council or housing association: 4% here, compared with 12% across St Albans (8.5 percentage points lower).

The share of social housing describes the homes already here. It does not show the current waiting list or whether enough suitable homes are available.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

Homes rented privately: 10% here, compared with 16% across St Albans (6.6 percentage points lower).

A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 59% here, compared with 53% across St Albans (6 percentage points higher).

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.

21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.

Why this comparison is valid

The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.

Source →
A proposed response →

The ward in numbers

People aged 65 or over

20.4%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

1,482 out of 7,256.

Source and method →

People reporting bad or very bad health

2.2%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

158 out of 7,255.

Source and method →

People counted in the census

7,256

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All usual residents

7,256 out of 7,256.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent

59%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

3,345 out of 5,671.

Source and method →

Households facing at least one measured disadvantage

32.5%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

907 out of 2,787.

Source and method →

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages

6%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

The census checks education, employment, health and housing. This is not a measure of income or poverty.

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

168 out of 2,787.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ outside the labour market

38.9%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

2,206 out of 5,670.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ in work

58.5%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

3,317 out of 5,670.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability

0.6%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

34 out of 5,670.

Source and method →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

6.7%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

Residents aged 16 and over

380 out of 5,671.

Source and method →

Homes rented privately

10%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

269 out of 2,788.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ retired

25.6%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

1,450 out of 5,670.

Source and method →

Homes rented from a council or housing association

4%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

Published Census 2021 count; percentage uses the matching population denominator

All households

104 out of 2,788.

Source and method →

Residents aged 16+ unemployed

2.6%

21 March 2021 · Harpenden South

Show the workings

21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.

All usual residents aged 16 and over

147 out of 5,670.

Source and method →

Crime and safety

Police-recorded locations for Harpenden South ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.

153 mapped crimes

September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 150 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.

Mapped crime over time

September 2024 to August 2026

Harpenden South ward · mapped crimes

Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: 7 mapped crimes in September 2024; 7 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Harpenden South
MonthMapped crimeAnti-social behaviour
September 202471
October 2024193
November 202481
December 2024111
January 2025125
February 2025122
March 2025201
April 2025104
May 2025140
June 2025124
July 2025144
August 2025115
September 2025106
October 2025102
November 2025162
December 202572
January 2026171
February 202682
March 2026143
April 2026193
May 2026221
June 202687
July 2026158
August 202676
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Harpenden South
CategoryMapped crimes
violent crime53
vehicle crime36
public order15
burglary14
other theft14
criminal damage arson11
other crime4
drugs3
shoplifting2
bicycle theft1
What these numbers include

Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.

Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and records without usable locations are excluded.

Do not compare directly with Scottish council-level recorded crime totals.

These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.

Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.

Police data and method →

What could improve local safety →

Projects and proposed responses

A nearby project is not proof of a benefit to the whole ward. Only source-supported ward links are attached here.

No project boundary has been verified against this ward. See projects and their stated locations →

Proposed responses across St Albans →