Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 36% of the population. This village in East Sussex, South East has a population of 1,910.
Northiam does especially well on safety — 15.2 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 7.2 home and vehicle crimes. Where it falls short is cost of living — the median home sold for £408,000, 8 years of area income. Incomes are on the low side: households earn a mean £51,531 a year, and 2.5% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for schools and B− for health.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP. An overall grade needs 2,500 residents, so Northiam is graded subject by subject only.
The 3 things Northiam 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 Northiam is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Northiam’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Northiam. Best known first.
GardenGreat Dixterin town
Historic houseBrickwallin town
Castle · National TrustBodiam Castle3.3 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionBodiam Boating Station1 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumRolvenden Layne Sound Museum4.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Northiam.
Degrees are held by 31% of adults. 13% are under 15, lower than both East Sussex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 7.2% of residents. At 56.6, the median resident of Northiam sits in the middle of the age range.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Northiam | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.2% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northiam Church of England Primary School and NurseryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 159 | B− |
Owners make up three quarters of households, above both East Sussex’s towns (62%) and England’s towns (61%). Behind the median of £408,000: 113 standard sales inside Northiam’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £1,165 a month across the Rother council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £550,000 | 52 |
| Semi-detached | £360,000 | 39 |
| Terraced | £315,000 | 15 |
| Flat or maisonette | £260,000 | 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.
31% of homes were built before 1919. Northiam’s listed buildings include Brickwall, Grade I. Of the town’s 82 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 2 and Grade II* 4. Conservation areas cover 100% of the town’s land, above East Sussex’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Violence and sexual offences were 40% of the crimes. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 75 offences in Northiam and 29 cases of nuisance behaviour. Also worth knowing: for its size, Northiam records less crime per resident than three fifths of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people.
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 Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 16%, below East Sussex’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. The car carried 88% of commuters at the census. Work in town: 11% of resident commuters. For every resident in work, Northiam has 0.7 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
At the census, nearly four fifths of people in Northiam called their health good or very good, below East Sussex’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 6.3% of the town. The nearest A&E to Northiam is Conquest Hospital, 8 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 99% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Northiam | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.3% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northiam | 1,910 | — | — | D− | A− | B− |
| Benenden | 1,409 | 4.9 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Hawkhurst | 3,683 | 5.2 | B+ | C+ | C | B+ |
| Robertsbridge | 1,439 | 6.1 | — | D− | D | A |
| Hurst Green | 1,181 | 6.2 | — | D− | B | A |
| Westfield | 1,271 | 6.3 | — | D− | D | B |
| Rye | 4,888 | 6.4 | D− | D− | D | B− |
| Tenterden | 7,775 | 6.5 | C | C− | C | B+ |
Benenden, Robertsbridge, Hurst Green and Westfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 17.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Brickwall.
Band D council tax in Northiam is £2,721 for 2026–27, more than in 97% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Village in East Sussex, England
Northiam is a built-up area of 1,910 people, in the Rother 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.