# Rochester and Strood

The east of the South East. About 109,506 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 145 square kilometres.

Lauren Edwards has been the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood since July 2024. They won by 2,930 votes on a 57.4% turnout.

Constituency. Code E14001447. In: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)

## MP and the 2024 result

Lauren Edwards has been the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood since July 2024.
They won by 2,930 votes on a 57.4% turnout.

MP: [Lauren Edwards](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5298) (Labour).

### General election, 4 July 2024: Rochester and Strood

| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lauren Edwards (elected) | Labour | 15,403 | 36.2% |
| Kelly Tolhurst | Conservative | 12,473 | 29.3% |
| Daniel Dabin | Reform UK | 9,966 | 23.4% |
| Cat Jamieson | Green Party | 2,427 | 5.7% |
| Graham Colley | Liberal Democrat | 1,894 | 4.4% |
| John Innes | Workers Party of Britain | 245 | 0.6% |
| Peter Burch | Heritage Party | 190 | 0.4% |

Electorate 74,257. Turnout 57.4%. Majority 2,930 (6.9%). Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Source: House of Commons Library, UK Parliament election results. https://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/3728

MP as of 18 October 2026. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Source: UK Parliament, Members API.

## Key figures

- **Majority, 2024 general election: 6.9%** (July 2024). The winner in Rochester and Strood had a majority of 6.9% of valid votes at the general election on 4 July 2024 (House of Commons Library). Joint 148th smallest majority of 650. Source: UK Parliament election results, July 2024. Published 4 July 2024. https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood#f-ge2024-majority
- **Turnout, 2024 general election: 57.4%** (July 2024). Turnout in Rochester and Strood at the general election on 4 July 2024 was 57.4% (House of Commons Library). Joint 224th lowest turnout of 650. Source: UK Parliament election results, July 2024. Published 4 July 2024. https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood#f-ge2024-turnout
- **Population: 103,036** (2021). Rochester and Strood had 103,036 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 274th most populated of 650. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 74%** (2022). About 74% of people in Rochester and Strood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood#f-radon-affected-share

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by constituency](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E14001447) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 74% of people in Rochester and Strood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=E14001447) (UK House Price Index · July 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Medway, where most of this constituency lies. The outline is Rochester and Strood.
- [Crime and ASB by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E14001447) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Medway, where most of this constituency lies. The outline is Rochester and Strood.
- [Population by constituency](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E14001447) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Rochester and Strood had 103,036 usual residents at the census.

## How Rochester and Strood compares

Each constituency against every other constituency the measure covers.

| Measure | Rochester and Strood | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Majority, 2024 general election | 6.9% | joint 148th smallest majority | 650 constituencies, UK · Jul 2024 |
| Turnout, 2024 general election | 57.4% | joint 224th lowest turnout | 650 constituencies, UK · Jul 2024 |
| Population | 103,036 | 274th most populated | 650 constituencies, UK · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 74% | joint 186th most people in radon Affected Areas | 650 constituencies, UK · 2022 |

## What is the population of Rochester and Strood?

Rochester and Strood had 103,036 usual residents at the census.
Rochester and Strood is the 274th most populated of 650 in the UK.

## Figures for the whole of Medway

Most of Rochester and Strood lies in Medway. These figures are published for the whole of Medway, not for constituencies, so they describe the council and not Rochester and Strood itself. [See Medway](https://openindex.co.uk/medway)

- **Average house price: £298,547** (July 2026). Medway’s average house price was £298,547 in July 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 1.1% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, July 2026. Published 16 September 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £39,622** (2025). Full-time workers living in Medway earned a median of £39,622 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 150th highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 7.5×** (2025). A home in Medway costs 7.5 times local full-time pay. Joint 161st least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 16 September 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 24.4** (2025). Medway has a deprivation score of 24.4 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 84th most deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Rochester and Strood in brief

The winner in Rochester and Strood had a majority of 6.9% of valid votes at the general election on 4 July 2024.
Turnout in Rochester and Strood at the general election on 4 July 2024 was 57.4%.
Rochester and Strood had 103,036 usual residents at the census.
About 74% of people in Rochester and Strood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.

## About

- Type: Constituency
- Code: E14001447
- Council: [Medway †](https://openindex.co.uk/medway)
- Region: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 145 km²
- People, mid-2024: 109,506*
- Wards: 10
- Middle areas: 13
- Neighbourhoods: 59
- Output areas: 313

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the council this constituency mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Gravesham](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/gravesham), [Chatham and Aylesford](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/chatham-and-aylesford), [Gillingham and Rainham](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/gillingham-and-rainham)

## Similar places

Constituencies with the closest mix of age and density. [Harlow](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/harlow), [Guildford](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/guildford), [Aylesbury](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/aylesbury), [Loughborough](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/loughborough), [Windsor](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/windsor), [Hertford and Stortford](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/hertford-and-stortford).

## Latest updates for Rochester and Strood

- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.
- GP practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Department for Education · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E14001447

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood#f-ge2024-majority.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.8, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23508850. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/rochester-and-strood