Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 2,287 in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
Recorded crime is low: 16.5 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 7.3 home and vehicle crimes. Most journeys need a car: on the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Homes sell for a median £375,000, about 6.2 years of what households in the East Cambridgeshire council area earn. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for schools, B for jobs & income and B for hazard risk.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Isleham has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Isleham does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Isleham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Isleham’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
17% 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 Isleham.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
92% of commuters drove, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026. About 6% of its commuters stay in Isleham for work. The town counts 0.4 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Three in five pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The one school in town appears below. The town’s primary school has 201 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isleham Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 201 | C |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Isleham’s land, 19% lies in conservation areas, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%). Its listed buildings include the Church of St Andrew, Grade I. It counts 34 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 2 Grade I. The pre-1919 share of homes is 17%.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 78 offences in Isleham and 14 cases of nuisance behaviour. Of all the crimes, 46% were violence and sexual offences. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Isleham has less crime per resident than 55% 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 police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
The nearest A&E to Isleham is West Suffolk Hospital, 14.6 miles away. A disability affects 15% of people locally. There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 3.1 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Isleham | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
10% rent privately, below Cambridgeshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Social renters account for just over one in ten households. The £375,000 median rests on 83 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £417,500 | 54 |
| Semi-detached | £320,000 | 17 |
| Terraced | £240,000 | 10 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
People 65 and over make up 23% of the town, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). The middle age in Isleham is 44.6. Among adults, 32% have a degree.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Isleham | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isleham | 2,287 | — | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Fordham | 2,566 | 2.4 | B+ | B+ | B− | B |
| Soham | 10,609 | 3.5 | B+ | A | B− | C+ |
| Beck Row | 4,129 | 3.6 | C | B− | B− | B |
| Mildenhall | 9,684 | 4 | C− | B | C− | C |
| Red Lodge | 5,771 | 4.3 | C+ | B− | C | A− |
| Exning | 2,049 | 5.7 | — | D | C | B |
| Burwell | 5,912 | 5.8 | A+ | B+ | B+ | A |
Exning has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.1 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Priory Church of St Margaret of Antioch. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £240,000, semi-detached houses £320,000 and detached houses £417,500. Household incomes are higher than in 68% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
About the middle for its size: 45% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades B+.
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Isleham is a built-up area of 2,287 people, in the East Cambridgeshire 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
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.