Lea Valley’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Lea Valley’s built-up area.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Lea ValleyHertfordshire
It is a village of 672 residents in Hertfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
672
Census 2021 · St Albans council
Median home
£662K
24 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.4
20% are 65+ · Hertfordshire 17%
Degree level
53%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Lea Valley a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Lea Valley is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. Just over one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. The median sale price is £661,500. 53% of adults are qualified to degree level.
What makes Lea Valley stand out
The 3 things Lea Valley does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Hertfordshire 39%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lea Valley.
Who lives here
A town of families: 21% of people in Lea Valley are under 15, more than in Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns
44.4median age
9.6% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Half of Lea Valley is older than 44.4, half younger. Over-65s are a fifth of the population.
Lea ValleyHertfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level53%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Lea Valley | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 7.8% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 53% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 11% of commuters in Lea Valley go to work without a car, fewer than in Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
11%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 59% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 23%, below Hertfordshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. At the census, 84% of commuters went by car. A household here earns £75K a year before tax, on average.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot5%
Train5%
Underground, tram1%
23%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
59%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£75K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
More households own their home in Lea Valley than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 87%
£662Kmedian sale
Social housing holds 2% of households, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Just over one in ten households are private tenants. Private rents average £1,931 a month across the St Albans council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Lea Valley£662K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £850,000 | 5 |
| Semi-detached | £621,000 | 19 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,931
average private rent a month, St Albans council area
£2,474
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded less often in Lea Valley than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 6 per 1,000 residents a year
6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 4.5 per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 11 offences were reported in Lea Valley. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 0.5 reports per 1,000, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (14.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 27% were violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Vehicle crime3
Other theft2
Other crime2
Public order1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Burglary0
Anti-social0
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Fewer people in Lea Valley live with a disability than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 11%
88%good or very good health
Asked at the census, 88% of residents of Lea Valley said they were in good or very good health. 2.8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (3.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.5 miles off.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Lea Valley | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 14% | 17% |
84.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
All 2 of Lea Valley’s listed buildings are Grade II
2listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, above Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) but below England’s towns (16%). Scaled to its population, that is 30 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Lea Valley.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
13%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
30
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lea Valley
13pages on Lea Valley
The big questions
Safety6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £662K · rent £1,931 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Lower Luton RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 84.9 (men), 87.1 (women)Work & commute69% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Lea Valley
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Lea Valley is a built-up area of 672 people, in the St Albans council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 672 (Census 2021)
- Council
- St Albans
- County
- Hertfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004322
Lea Valley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WheathampsteadHarpendenKimptonSandridgeRedbournCodicoteWhitwellLea Valley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lea Valley | 672 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wheathampstead | 4,523 | 1.2 | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
| Harpenden | 30,964 | 1.5 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ |
| Kimpton | 1,546 | 2.3 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Sandridge | 1,457 | 2.7 | — | C | C | B+ |
| Redbourn | 5,188 | 3.9 | A | C | B | A |
| Codicote | 2,677 | 4.1 | A− | C | B+ | B+ |
| Whitwell | 1,020 | 4.2 | — | C− | B | B+ |
Kimpton, Sandridge and Whitwell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Lea Valley
Is Lea Valley expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £621,000 and detached houses £850,000.
How much is council tax in Lea Valley?
Band D council tax in Lea Valley is £2,474 for 2026–27, more than in 58% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.