Crumbles’s story
No listed buildings inside Crumbles’s built-up area
0% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
CrumblesEast Sussex
3,056 residents make their home in this town in East Sussex, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
3,056
Census 2021 · Eastbourne council
Median home
£290K
226 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.3
33% are 65+ · East Sussex 22%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
16%
of commuters · England 27%
TownGrade
C+
#12 of 26 in East Sussex
Is Crumbles a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Its lowest grade is for cost of living — homes sell for a median £290,000, about 5.9 times local household income. Hazard risk is weaker too — 13.6% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding. Police record less crime here than in most towns: 12.5 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 6.1 home and vehicle crimes. All told, that adds up to a C+ overall and a rank of #12 of 26 in East Sussex. It comes out better than 37% of UK towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for health, C+ for jobs & income and B for walkability.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021.
What makes Crumbles stand out
The 3 things Crumbles does most differently from other towns.
92%of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people
Safety
of UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
16% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
48% of commuters travel under 5 km.
How Crumbles grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Crumbles is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard risk14% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaD−Open →Cost of livingRent £1,169 a monthD−Open →SafetyIn the top fifth of the towns comparedAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 31% of towns in England; secondary results beat 14% of towns in EnglandC−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carBOpen →HealthLife expectancy 80.8 for men, 85.1 for womenBOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £54,491; 2.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsD−Open →Outdoors44% live within 400 m of a park; 0.3 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB−Open →Civic life0.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Pevensey Castle and 9 more in and around Crumbles
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Crumbles. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritagePevensey Castle1.9 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryTowner Art Gallery4.4 km outside town, to the southwest · 2K visitors a year
PierEastbourne Pier3.6 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleRedoubt Fortress2.7 km outside town, to the southwest
FortWish Tower4.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumEastbourne Lifeboat Museum4.3 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Pevensey Castle: Piotr Zarobkiewicz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Towner Art Gallery: John Lord from Edinburgh, Scotland, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eastbourne Pier: The Voice of Hassocks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Redoubt Fortress: The Voice of Hassocks, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wish Tower: Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eastbourne Lifeboat Museum: Andy Li, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Crumbles.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Crumbles, fewer than in East Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
Retirement age and beyond: a third of residents are 65 or older. Nearly one in ten residents are 15 to 24, below both East Sussex’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). Line up the people of Crumbles by age and the one in the middle is 54.3. Also worth knowing: among adults, 31% have a degree.
54.3median age
CrumblesEast SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Crumbles | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
No listed buildings in Crumbles
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Crumbles’s built-up area. 0% of its homes were built before 1919.
0listed buildingsD−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
0%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D−
Private renting is more common in Crumbles than in East Sussex’s towns or England’s towns: 29% of households
1% live in social housing, lower than both East Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Households that own their home make up 69%. The £290,000 median rests on 226 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£290Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Crumbles£290K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £520,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £336,500 | 8 |
| Terraced | £356,250 | 44 |
| Flat or maisonette | £252,500 | 151 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
29%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,169
average private rent a month, Eastbourne council area
£2,654
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
Crime per resident in Crumbles is lower than in 86% of UK towns
Police figures for Crumbles’s built-up area: 85 crimes and 23 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Crumbles has less crime per resident than 92% of them. Violence and sexual offences accounted for three fifths of recorded crime.
12.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 92% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual51
Damage & arson6
Public order6
Other theft6
Drugs5
Other crime4
Vehicle crime3
Bicycle theft2
Anti-social23
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.
12.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
85
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Only 16% of commuters in Crumbles go to work without a car, fewer than in East Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
There are 0.2 jobs in Crumbles for each resident in work. Just over four in five commuters drove, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.9%. About 1% of its commuters stay in Crumbles for work.
16%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving82%
On foot8%
Bus3%
Train3%
Bicycle2%
48%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
30%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B
Walkability: more walkable than 61% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
In Crumbles, 82% say their health is good or very good
One GP practice serves the town; three quarters of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. 17% of residents have a disability, lower than East Sussex’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (17%). At the census, 4.6% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
82%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Crumbles | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
80.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Crumbles
14pages on Crumbles
The big questions
SafetyA12.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingD−Median home £290K · rent £1,169 a monthHousing74 sold in 12 months · busiest street Midway QuaySchoolsC−HealthBLife expectancy 80.8 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commuteC+47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD−13.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Crumbles’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Pevensey BayWesthamEastbourneStone CrossLower WillingdonPolegateEast Dean and FristonCrumbles
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crumbles | 3,056 | — | C+ | D− | A | B |
| Pevensey Bay | 2,890 | 1.6 | C | C | A− | B− |
| Westham | 1,861 | 1.7 | — | C− | B+ | B |
| Eastbourne | 99,171 | 2.1 | D− | D− | D | C |
| Stone Cross | 5,036 | 2.2 | C | C− | B− | B |
| Lower Willingdon | 6,126 | 3.8 | B− | C− | A− | A− |
| Polegate | 10,067 | 4 | C | C | B | C |
| East Dean and Friston | 1,602 | 5.9 | — | D | A+ | A− |
Westham and East Dean and Friston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Crumbles
Does Crumbles flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
How much is council tax in Crumbles?
Band D council tax in Crumbles is £2,654 for 2026–27, more than in 92% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Crumbles
Town in East Sussex, England
Crumbles is a built-up area of 3,056 people, in the Eastbourne 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
- 3,056 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Eastbourne
- County
- East Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006589
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.