Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, which together with Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, forms the official government office region of East of England. People in this region watch less television, commit fewer crimes, work the most hours and cycle greater distances per person in the UK. The region also has the lowest rate of teenage pregnancies, the second highest number of home PCs and the greatest proportion of GDP spent on scientific research. The town is served by two railway stations and has excellent road links.

Population: 24,180
Source: 2001 Census
In the 1991 census, the population of Hertford was 22,162.

Households: 10,311
Source: 2001 Census
The 1991 census figure was 9427.

Population density: 12 per hectare
This compares with 25 per hectare for Harlow and 30 for Stevenage.

Average House Price: £155,418
Source: HM Land Registry
The average UK house price is £112,286. A semi-detatched property in the SG13 postcode area costs on average £175,443, compared to a national average of £91,397.

Unemployment: 0.19%
Source: Benefits Agency, November 2001
The value quoted is for the East Herts District as a whole. The unemployment rate for the county was 1.3% in October 2000, according to the Office for National Statistics, a fall of 22.7% over the previous year.

Average Income: £23,500
Source: DTI
The value quoted is for the county of Hertfordshire as a whole.

Major Industries: Brewing, engineering, services
The town's major employers include Hertfordshire County Council, McMullens, Royal Sun Alliance, Fluorocarbon and Which Magazine.

Crime: 5.98%
Source: Hertfordshire Constabulary
This figure represents 59.8 crimes per 1000 of the population and compares with a national average of 90.13.

For more information about housing costs, council taxes rates, school league tables, policing and crime, visit upmystreet.com or the Hertfordshire Environmental Forum. Other statistics for the area can also be found at the government's National Statistics Website.