St Albans area report

Highlights

St Albans, located in Hertfordshire, is a city with a population of 148167. The median house price stands at 600000, having risen 12.6 per cent over five years. Detached properties median 940000, while terraced homes median 570000. The area has a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.0, compared to a five-year average of 16.9. Crime recorded 1040 incidents in May 2026, with anti-social behaviour and violent crime among the most common categories. The area scores well on deprivation indices, particularly in health and education, though living environment deciles are lower at 5.8. Schools number 79 in total, with 29 rated good or better by Ofsted. The nearest primary school is 0.4 kilometres away and the nearest secondary school also 0.4 kilometres away. For transport, St Albans City Rail Station is 1.4 kilometres away, offering a 29-minute commute to London Blackfriars. Broadband gigabit coverage reaches 86.1 per cent of premises. Life expectancy is 82.8 years for men and 85.5 years for women. The area contains 835 listed buildings and 45 conservation areas, with 81.5 per cent falling within the green belt.

Data updated 2026/27 (tax); 2025 (control). St Albans, Hertfordshire — a free, sourced local-area report from Acreright. Every figure shows its source and date; where the data isn't reliable we say so rather than guess.

Within Hertfordshire, St Albans ranks 10th cheapest of 10, 3rd safest and 10th most affordable.

What does it cost?

• £600,000 median home price (HM Land Registry Price Paid + UK HPI, Apr 2026)

Sold prices in St Albans have risen 12% over the last five years (UK House Price Index).

How safe is it?

• 7 recorded crimes per 1,000 people (police.uk, May 2026)

Who lives here?

• 148,169 residents (ONS Census 2021 (Nomis), 2021)

About 85% of neighbourhoods in England are more deprived than St Albans (English Indices of Deprivation, decile 9 of 10, national basis). Little changed since 2019 (decile 9).

Schools

• 100% of inspected schools rated Good or Outstanding (Get Information About Schools (GIAS) + Ofsted inspections MI, 2026)

Health

• 82.8 · 85.5 yrs life expectancy (men · women) (NHS ODS register (GP/dentist/pharmacy) + OSM (hospitals) + IoD2025 health domain + OHID Fingertips (outcomes), 2026/2025)

Getting around

• ≈29 min fastest train to London (OpenStreetMap + National Rail timetable (ATOC/RDG, GTFS), 2026)
• 86% of premises can get gigabit broadband (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024, Jul 2024)

Has it been a good investment?

Of homes in St Albans that changed hands in the last five years, 18.9% sold for less than the previous owner paid — 1.7 points above East of England (17.2%) (nominal, not inflation-adjusted). Across those resales the typical gain was 15.45% over 7.85 years held.

Investment context: a gross rental yield of about 4% (area median rent against the median sold price) — appraise a specific property at /appraisal/st albans.

Compare every area in Hertfordshire: Hertfordshire area guide & rankings.

Nearby areas we cover: Welwyn Hatfield, Hertsmere, Dacorum.