Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,278 people call this village in Buckinghamshire, South East home.
Health is a strength: life expectancy 83.4 for men, 86.3 for women. Its weakest subject is cost of living: a typical home costs £782,500 and rent runs £1,475 a month. It lags on walkability as well: nearly one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Hazard risk is lower than in most UK towns (A).
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · flood risk, Environment Agency. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so South Heath has its subject grades alone.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far South Heath is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things South Heath does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside South Heath’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in South Heath.
2.8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below both Buckinghamshire’s towns (3.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). A disability affects 12% of people in South Heath. Men in South Heath can expect to live to 83.4, women to 86.3 (2019–23). Seeing a GP means leaving South Heath: the nearest practice is 0.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | South Heath | Buckinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
South Heath logged 26 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 1 complaints of anti-social conduct. Violent crime runs at 9.1 per 1,000 residents a year; what’s more, homes saw 6.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Buckinghamshire’s towns (8.6) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, South Heath has less crime per resident than 84% of them.
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.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 53% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census counted 53% of workers working mainly from home. Nearly nine in ten commuters drove, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). Household income averages £77K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social housing holds 4% of households. Half of the 25 standard sales inside South Heath’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £782,500. 18% rent privately, close to Buckinghamshire’s towns (18%) and below England’s towns (21%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £970,000 | 14 |
| Semi-detached | £750,000 | 7 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. South Heath’s listed buildings include the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Grade I. Per 10,000 residents, South Heath counts 94 listed buildings, above both Buckinghamshire’s towns (77) and England’s towns (39). Historic England’s list names 12 listed buildings in the town: 1 Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town. 18% are under 15, about level with England’s towns (18%) and below Buckinghamshire’s towns (19%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 10%.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| South Heath | Buckinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.2% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.7% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Buckinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near South Heath. Best known first.
Historic houseChequers3.2 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumThe Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre200 m outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseHalton House3.4 km outside town, to the north
Abbey or prioryMissenden Abbey200 m outside town, to the southwest
FortCymbeline's Castle4.2 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumTrenchard Museum3 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Buckinghamshire, England
South Heath is a built-up area of 1,278 people, in the Buckinghamshire 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Heath | 1,278 | — | — | C− | A | A+ |
| Little Kingshill | 1,471 | 1.5 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Hyde Heath | 1,048 | 1.8 | — | C− | A | A+ |
| Prestwood and Great Missenden | 7,600 | 1.9 | A | C | B− | A+ |
| Great Kingshill | 1,669 | 2.9 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Chesham | 23,691 | 3.2 | B | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Hughenden Valley | 1,814 | 4 | — | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Hazlemere | 20,006 | 4 | A | C | A− | A+ |
Little Kingshill, Hyde Heath, Great Kingshill and Hughenden Valley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £782,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £750,000 and detached houses £970,000.
That is 3.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Police recorded 26 crimes inside South Heath’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 42% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
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.