Where Do People Move From Essex? What the Latest Data Shows
Most people who leave Essex don’t go far. According to the latest ONS internal migration data, for the year ending June 2024, the majority of moves out of an Essex address either stay inside the county or cross into a neighbouring area such as London, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire or Kent. A smaller but steady number make a genuine long-distance move, to places like Scotland, Nottingham, Birmingham and Cornwall.
This post maps where people actually go when they move from Southend and the wider county, using the numbers rather than guesswork. It also covers what those patterns mean if your own move is one of the longer ones, where a bit of planning makes the biggest difference.
What the data actually measures
These figures come from the ONS “Internal migration in England and Wales” dataset, detailed estimates for the year ending June 2024. They count moves between local authorities, so a move from one council area to another. They do not count people relocating within the same town, and they do not include moves abroad.
For this article, “Essex” means the historic county: the twelve district councils plus the two unitary authorities, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. The numbers are ONS estimates and are rounded here, so treat them as a clear guide to the pattern rather than an exact headcount.
Where people move when they leave Southend
When someone moves out of Southend-on-Sea, the most common destinations are right next door. Rochford and Castle Point take the largest shares by a wide margin, followed by other south Essex towns. Around 9,600 people moved out of Southend to another local authority in the year, and the top of the list is almost entirely local.
| Destination | Estimated moves | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Rochford | ~1,600 | Essex |
| Castle Point | ~780 | Essex |
| Basildon | ~450 | Essex |
| Chelmsford | ~260 | Essex |
| Thurrock | ~170 | Essex |
| Colchester | ~170 | Essex |
| Braintree | ~150 | Essex |
| Maldon | ~140 | Essex |
| Tower Hamlets | ~110 | London |
| Havering | ~110 | London |
The first eight destinations are all within Essex. You have to reach the ninth spot before a London borough appears, and beyond that the moves spread thinly across the country, from Brighton and Hove to Norwich, Birmingham and Scotland.
Where people move when they leave Essex
Look at the whole county and the picture broadens. Around 105,000 moves were made out of an Essex local authority in the year. Once you set aside moves that stay within the county, the top destinations cluster in the bordering counties and the north-east London boroughs.
| Destination | Estimated moves | Area |
|---|---|---|
| East Hertfordshire | ~2,040 | Hertfordshire |
| Babergh | ~1,990 | Suffolk |
| Havering | ~1,910 | London |
| Redbridge | ~1,430 | London |
| East Suffolk | ~1,250 | Suffolk |
| Newham | ~1,190 | London |
| Scotland | ~1,070 | Scotland |
| Barking and Dagenham | ~1,050 | London |
| Ipswich | ~1,040 | Suffolk |
| Mid Suffolk | ~1,030 | Suffolk |
| West Suffolk | ~1,020 | Suffolk |
| Norwich | ~1,010 | Norfolk |
Two clear groups stand out. The first is the ring of London boroughs that border Essex, led by Havering, Redbridge, Newham and Barking and Dagenham. The second is the sweep of neighbouring East of England counties, with Suffolk especially strong across Babergh, East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk.
Further down the list sit the longer moves: Nottingham (~900), Birmingham (~890), Cambridge (~770), Brighton and Hove (~770), Canterbury (~700), Cornwall (~670) and Leeds (~600). These are the moves where distance genuinely changes how the day is planned.
The bigger picture: most moves are local
Group the destinations together and one thing is obvious. Most moves are short. Even across the whole county, close to four in ten moves stay inside Essex, and once you add London and the bordering counties, the clear majority are relatively local.
| Where people go | Share of moves out of Southend | Share of moves out of Essex |
|---|---|---|
| Within Essex | ~42% | ~37% |
| Into London | ~15% | ~16% |
| Elsewhere in the UK | ~44% | ~47% |
Excludes moves within the same town or council area, and moves abroad. Figures are rounded ONS estimates for the year ending June 2024.
The “elsewhere in the UK” share looks large, but much of it is made up of nearby counties like Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire rather than far-flung destinations. The genuinely long-distance moves are real, and they matter a great deal to the households making them, but they are the smaller part of the picture.
What this means if you’re planning a long-distance move
If your move is one of the longer ones, the planning is different from a local hop across town. Distance adds driving time, fuel and often an overnight element, so the day is built around logistics as much as loading. A few things are worth sorting early.
- Get a proper survey. A long move is priced on volume, distance and time, so a video or in-home survey gives you a firm figure rather than a rough estimate. Our house removals team handles the packing, loading and driving as one job.
- Ask whether it’s a one-day or two-day move. Longer distances can mean an overnight stop, so confirm how the crew and vehicle are scheduled.
- Line up storage if your dates don’t match. Chains stretch over longer distances, and secure storage in Essex bridges the gap so your things are wrapped once and moved straight into store.
- Check the insurance covers the whole journey. More miles and more handling mean cover matters. Confirm goods-in-transit protection applies for the full trip.
- Book early. Fridays, month-ends and the summer peak fill up first, and long moves need more planning, so give yourself a longer run-in.
Moving further afield, or overseas? A small share of people leaving Essex head abroad, which the internal migration data does not capture. If that’s you, our overseas and international moves service is built for it.
Whatever the distance, the honest way to price it is to look at what you’re moving and where it’s going. Tell us about your move and we’ll arrange a free survey and a clear, written quote.
